Special Musicians
by mshinata
Summary: Hinata Hyuuga has always envied Neji of his ability to play piano so gracefully. She joined a club with him called the Musical Club. Hinata thinks of themselves as rivals and close friends. What does Neji think? NejiHina. On HIATUS.
1. The Musical Club

**Mshinata: **This is going to be different than from my other fan fics. This is going to be a NejiHina! Woot! Dedicated to **enchantedmarshie18. **I love her to death! Also dedicated to **DesertRoseTemari **(if she ever reads this hehe…). Both awesome people and please keep up the good work! I do not own Naruto or any characters specified in this fan fic.

She was a pianist. Someone who would soon become the piano prodigy…but…there was only one thing that got in her way. 

Neji Hyuuga…her cousin.

She loved the man…she truly did. She admired him for his piano playing skills…but he always did come out on top. It made her kind of jealous, so she worked harder. Then, Neji began writing his own songs. So, she decided to write her own songs too. But Neji's songs always had more pages. 

The girl was Hinata Hyuuga. 

She had always wished for skills like Neji. But whenever he did play, it made her heart skip a beat. She didn't know why. Maybe he just looked so natural and vulnerable. 

She was a junior and he was a senior in high school. Neji had many opportunities for colleges and universities. Hinata was grateful for him…really. 

Hinata tapped her fingers on her desk impatiently while class was about to be dismissed in ten minutes.

"Hinata-chan, be patient. I sometimes think you get your impatience from your cousin." Ino whispered while taking notes. 

"Gomen can't help it." Hinata smiled back nervously.

Then in a matter of minutes, class was dismissed. Hinata practically ran out of the classroom. 

"Hey Hinata-chan! Wait up!" Ino said, running after her.

"I have to beat him to the club room!" Hinata yelled back at her.

"Ugh, AGAIN!" Ino sighed and caught up with her. Hinata nodded. 

Hinata had to beat him. She couldn't lose to him anymore. She ran so fast that when she arrived at the club room, she ran into the devil himself. Neji.

He gently grabbed her shoulders and stared at her. Ino slowed down behind Hinata.

"Why are you running?" He raised a brow.

"U-um…I thought I was going to be late." Hinata nervously lied. Neji rolled his eyes.

"What a lie." He let go of her shoulders. "Just don't hurt yourself." He said and walked into the club room. Hinata was a bit irritated.

"I can take care of myself, thank you." Hinata said, irritated.

"Hey, hey…Neji-kun was just trying to look out for you." Ino said waving her hands in front of her as the two walked into the classroom.

"He just does that so he can look good." Hinata reasoned. Ino sighed and laughed. 

"You are so dense." Ino plainly said. Hinata looked at Ino weirdly. Ino laughed. "It's nothing."

They were all part of the Musical Club. A club where all genres of music and musicians came to play whatever they wanted. They always had at least three concerts each year. Each group/person of the Musical Club had to come up with whatever they had to play. They could be in a group and played with friends or played solo. 

"Hinata-chan!" A black-haired guy with onyx eyes came up from behind her and hugged her. "I missed you!" He snuggled comfortably in her neck.

"Sai-kun! Don't be so rude!" Ino shouted, scraping the guy off of Hinata. (Hahaha, you thought it was Sasuke! Think again! –Evil laugh-). Sai pouted and crossed his arms.

"But…I barely got to talk to Hinata-chan during class." He said childishly.

"Grow up, Sai." Neji butted into their conversation and rolled his eyes. "I can't believe someone like you is the president of the Musical Club."

"Exactly." Sai completely changed into a devil. He smirked. "So Neji-kun, you should watch yourself. I could kick you out of this club anytime I want." He stepped up to Neji. Neji glared back at Sai.

"Tch. Just get your dirty and sick hands off of my cousin." Neji said and walked away. Hinata stood there…surprised. She knew that he had always stood up to her…but never protected her like this before. It wasn't like she liked Sai hugging her…it's just that…she didn't mind it.

"Ne Hinata-chan, Neji-kun is so mean." Sai pouted. 

"For once I agree with the bastard. You have to be more serious." A guy who looked exactly like Sai but had his hair spiked up. Sai's skin was pale but his skin was fair. (…)

"Sasuke-kun, you're such an ass hole." Sai said. Sasuke rolled his eyes. 

"Here are the papers for the concerts. The principal didn't allow me to read them…she said she wanted the president to." Sasuke handed over the papers to Sai. 

"You aren't? But you are the vice president." Sai said surprised and scanned over the papers.

"Eh…I think it's just 'cause the principal hates me." Sasuke ran a hand through his hair.

"Where are Naruto-kun and Sakura-san?" Hinata asked suddenly.

"Not here." Sasuke said.

"Don't be so rude to Hinata-sama." Neji said…butting in…AGAIN. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"You have no right to tell me what to do, Hyuuga." Sasuke said.

"Is that what you say to your mother? Let me knock that punk ass mouth off of your face." Neji said with a glare. Hinata and Ino sighed.

"Guys…at least get through a day without fighting." Ino said, stopping the two from kicking each other's asses.

"P-please…" Hinata clasped her hands in front of herself and looked very worried. Neji and Sasuke noticed her and looked away from each other.

"Whatever." The two guys said. Neji looked down at his feet. His long bangs covered his face. He blushed from the embarrassment of using "foul" language in front of Hinata. Sasuke looked up at the ceiling and pretended that nothing happened.

"Sasuke-kun! Neji-kun!" Sakura ran over to the group with Naruto. "Gomen, we're late."

"Lateness is unexceptional." Sai crossed his arms, being the serious guy again.

"Aww Sai-teme! C'mon!" Naruto cried Anime style. "Give us another chance!" Sai smirked.

"No." He evilly said. "Now for the upcoming concert, you guys have to do solos." He smiled.

"NANI!" Sakura and Naruto both said in unison. Ino laughed while Hinata was worried. Neji and Sasuke both scoffed.

"You…you can't do that!" Sakura said.

"And why not?" Sai raised a brow. "Can you NOT play a solo…Sakura-chan?" Adding the suffix to her name really made her heart skip a beat. Sai was handsome...like Sasuke…but! She shook her head to brush the thought aside.

"It's just that…working alone is…" Sakura gulped. "So…lonely…" Sakura said. Sasuke sighed.

"Just let them off the hook. Let them buy you lunch or something. It's only been the first day of school and you're already harassing people." Sasuke said to Sai.

"Besides Sai…you got a lot of paper work for the new members of the club." Neji said handing over Sai more paper work. Sai cried Anime style.

"Do you HATE me, Neji-kun!" Sai shook Neji.

"Yes." He said bluntly. Sai's crying worsened.

"U-um…I'll h-help you, Sai-kun…" Hinata said. Sai's face brightened.

"Really!" Sai held her hands. She nodded. "Arigato gozaimasu, Hinata-chan! I love you!" He hugged her. Neji had an angry mark on his forehead and punched him. 

"Sai-kun!" Ino and Sakura rushed over to his side. 

"S-Sai-kun…" Hinata said. 

"He'll be fine." Neji said, rubbing his hand that punched Sai.

"Don't you think that was…harsh?" Hinata asked, facing Neji.

"I guess." Neji said. 

"Members alert! The other members of the Musical Club are coming!" Naruto said. He was keeping watch of the door from the inside by looking out the window. 

"Right!" Sai miraculously recovered and stood up. "Let's show them what we're made of!"

oO0Oo

The top seven members of the Musical Club helped the other members play whatever they wanted to play. They were like…tutors. Hinata and Neji helped with piano, Ino helped with violin and viola, Sai and Sasuke helped with drums, Sakura helped with flute, and Naruto helped with guitar. Of course, Neji knew how to play all sorts of instruments so all the other instruments he helped those people with. Hinata was a little envious at that. He almost knew how to play every instrument.

Neji was helping a freshman play the piano by putting her hands in the right position. She was blushing from the contact but Neji was as expressionless as ever. Hinata saw this and was kind of relieved. Wait…relieved? For what? Neji caught Hinata staring at him and she quickly averted his gaze. 

"Is…is this right?" The freshman that Hinata was tutoring asked. She played the C Major scale with both hands. Hinata snapped out of her thoughts and returned to teaching.

"Yes. Now remember, the C Major scale is the scale with no sharps or flats." Hinata said. The girl sighed of relief.

"Good." The girl smiled. 

While Hinata wasn't looking, Neji was observing Hinata teach. She was smiling and even laughing. How could this be? All the girls and guys that Neji taught either blushed or didn't feel like playing piano. That's what Neji wanted the most. He wanted to make people smile especially…Hinata. Neji didn't want for her to worry about him.

"L-like this…Neji-kun?" The girl played the C Major scale but had a lot of mistakes and rushed the scale. Neji sighed.

"Not quite…slow down and remember that there are no black keys in this scale. There are only white." Neji said. 

"A-ah…of course." The girl said nervously. Neji inwardly scoffed. He did it again. He made another person nervous and blush.

All the others continued teaching everybody as usual…and before you knew it, it was over.

"Yosh!" Naruto yelled and dropped down on a nearby couch. "It's over!"

"Naruto…! That's not a very considerate thing to say…" Sakura scolded him, sitting by him.

"Besides…we have all year to spend time relaxing in the club room." Ino said, sitting in a couch across from Naruto's and Sakura's.

Neji and Hinata sweat dropped.

"Don't tell me we're doing that whole "skip classes" thing again." Neji sighed.

"Neji-kun!" Sai scolded. "You know we do this every year!" He smiled. Neji wanted to punch his punk ass mouth off his face so badly. Hinata laughed nervously.

"B-but…wouldn't the teacher be…angry?" Hinata asked.

"We could care less for the guy." Sasuke said, sitting next to Naruto and putting his feet up on the little table.

"Yeah…but…classes are important, and this is the first day of school." Hinata reasoned.

"The only reason why we went to class was to not get a bad reputation." Sakura said, waving a finger in the air.

"One class is enough if you ask me." Ino said. Everyone, but Neji and Hinata, nodded. "Hinata-chan! Don't tell me you're planning on attending classes!" Ino pouted.

"I…h-have to…" Hinata said.

"Aww Hinata-chan, you're the second smartest student out of all of the juniors! At least take a break…" Sakura said.

"She can do whatever." Sasuke sighed.

"N-Neji-niisan…what are you doing?" Hinata asked, turning to face him. Neji raised a brow.

_Why is she asking me? _Neji asked himself. "Attending classes of course." Neji replied.

"You're such a bore, Neji!" Naruto pouted.

"Ne…everyone should follow this perfect couple of their example!" Sai sparkled. 

"But you just said that we should skip classes!" Ino and Sakura shouted.

"C-couple!" Neji and Hinata both said in unison. 

"Yes." Sai said, winking. "You two _do _make a cute couple…!" Sai smiled.

"S-Sai-kun!" Hinata blushed furiously. 

"Sai," Sasuke stood up. Sai looked over at Sasuke with an expressionless face. He always did that to Sasuke. "Let's cut the chit chat. You've already wasted enough of our time. Let's go home." He grabbed his backpack and got ready to leave.

Everyone had forgotten the previous conversation and left. Neji and Hinata walked home as usual. They lived in an apartment by themselves. Yes, themselves. And yes…the school they were going to was a rich school. They took the exams that were needed to enter the school and got high scores. Both Neji and Hinata entered the school, being the top students of their grade.

"So…" Neji started, running a hand through his long chocolate-colored locks. "How was your first day with…the idiots?" Neji asked, referring to Ino, Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sai. Hinata laughed nervously.

"I got to talk with Ino-chan and Sakura-san a little…Naruto-kun was being…his usual self while Sai tried to talk to me but Ino-chan and Sakura-san pushed him away." Hinata said. Neji chuckled.

"That's good. I don't like seeing him with you. He's a dangerous guy…always having mood swings and all." Neji said, looking the other way. Hinata laughed a little.

"But…in a way…he's very sweet." Hinata said. 

"Hn." Neji replied. The rest of the way back to their apartment was quiet. The two decided that they were going to attend classes…unlike _some _people.

As Neji unlocked the door to the apartment, Hinata entered and Neji followed. 

"I'm going to start on dinner if that's okay with you, nii-san." Hinata smiled.

"That's fine." Neji replied. He dropped his backpack near the couch and entered into his room to study…or something. Neji was so mysterious…always keeping the things that he did to himself. Yes, Hinata knew him very well but didn't know some of the things he did. She guessed that he was going to write another piano piece for the upcoming concerts or something. 

Hinata sighed as she turned on the stove. _You're so…mysterious…_

oO0Oo

Kakashi sweat dropped as he entered the room, only finding Hinata in the room. 

"What's wrong, Kakashi-sensei?" Hinata tilted her head to the side as she sat in her desk. 

"Iie…it's nothing." Kakashi shook his head and started off with the lesson.

After class, Hinata headed straight towards the club room. As she opened the club room door, Sai attacked her with a hug as usual.

"Hinata-chan!" Sai snuggled. Hinata gently pushed off Sai. She looked past him and found that all the important club members are here.

"A-am…am I late?" Hinata sweat dropped.

"Nope." Naruto said with a flashy smile. "It's time...for our annual piano festival!" Hinata's eyes suddenly grew wide and looked determined. She looked over at Neji but he was unfazed. 

"Of course," Sakura waved a finger in the air. "The two competitors are Neji-kun and Hinata-chan…BUT…there's a catch this year." Sakura said. Hinata blinked.

"Catch…?" Hinata repeated curiously.

"You have to play a duet with a stranger that you've never met before." Ino said with a smile.

"N-nani!" Hinata squeaked out. Hinata…was _not _good at playing duets…maybe with Neji but…not with a stranger. They'd probably get tired of her because of her constant stuttering and nervousness.

"What's wrong, Hinata-sama?" Neji asked. Hinata shook her head.

"I-it's nothing. I accept the challenge." Hinata said determinedly. Neji raised a brow and sighed.

"Right." Neji said. 

"Loser has to be his or her servant for the day." Sasuke said suddenly.

"Iie!" Hinata exclaimed.

"Oh that's right…Neji's already Hinata's servant." Sasuke smirked gracefully. Neji had an angry mark on his forehead and clenched his fists.

"Yeah! That's a good idea!" Sai exclaimed. "Let's do it!" He smiled.

And that was that. 

The next day, Hinata had to search through the other classes to find another student who played piano. Okay…so everyone gasped when they saw Hinata. It was because she was in a special class that was for top students of the grade. Hinata was smart and talented. She couldn't help it. 

"Hyuuga-san is coming this way…!" A girl blushed.

"Why is she here? Is it because she has come to visit her admirers!" Another girl squeaked.

"Why is that snobby bitch here?" One girl cursed. Hinata ignored the comment and continued to search through classes and asked each student if they were a pianist. They either said, "no" or "no, but if you want me to." Hinata sighed. She leaned on a set of lockers. 

"Haven't found your partner yet?" Neji suddenly appeared and asked. Hinata jumped and clutched her heart. "Gomen for scaring you."

"I-it's okay…" Hinata calmed down. 

"Don't strain yourself…alright?" Neji commanded, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"R-right…" Hinata said. Neji walked away. She kind of felt offended…she didn't know why. What Neji just said made her feel that everything she worked so hard for was in vain…if she didn't win against Neji this time; she knew she'd make a fool out of herself! Hinata clenched her fists and searched through more classrooms for fellow pianists. 

"Hinata-chan! Why are you running?" Ino shouted as Hinata passed her.

"I have to-" Hinata ran into a body that she felt a dark aura surrounding it as she fell. "G-gomenasai!" She quickly stood up and bowed.

"Watch where you're going…Hyuuga." Hinata looked up to lock gazes with an aquamarine-eyed muscular guy. He had flaming red hair and a love tattoo over his left eye. Hinata quickly nodded.

"You alright, Hinata-chan?" Ino asked, running over to Hinata. Hinata gave Ino a nervous smile and nodded. "Did you know who that was!"

"U-um…Iie." Hinata answered. 

"Of course not…most top students who go to special classes don't get to know all about the _average _students." Ino rolled her eyes. Hinata sweat dropped.

_What is that supposed to mean? _Hinata thought to herself.

"Sabaku Gaara…age fifteen…best trait…his muscles…worst trait…his deathly glare." Ino said, taking out a picture of the guy named Gaara. Hinata sweat dropped.

"And you keep this with you…why?" Hinata asked nervously.

"You people need to keep up with these types of people! Even if we are smart, we aren't ALWAYS the center of the attention…and yes…most of the time we are. But that's not the point." Ino cleared her throat. "Actually, Gaara-kun could attend our special classes…but he denied the offer." Hinata blinked.

"Why?" She asked. Ino shrugged.

"Who knows? He's kind of got a weird personality if you ask me." Ino crossed her arms and nodded.

"Do you know if he's a pianist?" Hinata asked. Ino laughed.

"You really want to beat Neji-kun, don't you?" Hinata nodded. "I don't know…ask him." Hinata sighed. 

"Fine…I'll do it the hard way." Hinata said.

oO0Oo

Gaara made his way to the front of the school building just as the note said. Ugh…it was probably another love confession. Damn…he hated those. He barely knew half of the girls who sent them to him…and didn't know ANY of the guys who did. He shivered just thinking about all the guys who sent him love letters. He stepped in front of the school building and found the same girl who he bumped into yesterday. The Hyuuga. Neji's cousin…was it? Hinata…Hyuuga? Yeah…she was also in the list of top students. He walked over to where Hinata was.

"What?" He said, irritated. She flinched and cleared her throat.

"I have to ask something." Hinata said, playing with the edge of her shirt.

"No…I won't go out with you." Gaara sighed.

"N-nani! No! It's not that!" Hinata waved her hands in front of her. Gaara raised a brow.

"Then spit it out." Gaara snapped.

"U-um…do you…um…play…piano?" Hinata stammered.

"Piano…" Gaara pondered. "Why?"

"It's for the annual piano…competition…thing…that Neji-niisan and I do every year…but this year…we each need a partner." Hinata stuttered. Gaara sighed.

"Give up. The guy's out of your league." Gaara said. "He's a natural born genius and basically memorizes everything he sees…"

"I can't…!" Hinata shouted. "I…want…to beat him. It's something…I've always wanted. I've given up so much to get this far. I can't turn down the challenge." Hinata said.

"So…you'd do anything to beat him?" Gaara raised a brow. Hinata nodded quickly. "Come to the Musical Club...during class. We'll start right away." He turned his back to her.

"U-um…" Hinata stuttered.

"Don't be late…I don't accept lateness." Gaara started to walk away. "I can skip a few classes…but that's it." 

Hinata stood there…confused. But, did that mean she really had a partner for the duet?

oO0Oo

"So Hinata-chan!" Ino sang as she appeared next to Hinata while she was putting books in her locker. "I heard you got a hot partner for the duet!" It was the next day when Ino found out. Wow…news went around fast.

"U-um…" Hinata sweat dropped. 

"Gaa-ra-kun." Ino said his name in syllables and smiled. "I wonder if Neji-kun got a partner already."

"Probably…a lot of girls would do anything to spend time with him." Hinata said, heading towards class.

"Hinata-chan, you're such a bore." Ino pouted. "You should come to the club room instead of classes." Hinata sighed.

"I need to keep my place being the top student in our grade…if I don't; I might not even have these privileges anymore." Hinata replied. Ino sighed. 

"Fine. See you after school!" And Ino ran off. 

Of course…Hinata agreed to practice with Gaara during class. She was confused though…he was a top student but didn't have the privileges that she and the other club members had. You see…there school system was like this. Each grade had a few top students that would be called…"Special" students. They had the ability to skip classes if they thought they already knew what they needed to know. Naruto, Sakura, Sai, Sasuke, Hinata, and Ino were the six top students in their grade that had that ability. Hinata was first, Ino was second, Sasuke was third, Sai was fourth, Sakura was fifth, and Naruto was sixth. 

Neji…on the other hand…was first in his grade. Neji and Hinata did decide to attend classes after all…but Hinata guessed it would have been okay to skip a class or two to beat Neji.

She opened the Musical Club's door and peeked inside of it. Hinata scanned the room and found no sign of Gaara. She sighed and dropped her bag near the piano bench. She sat down and stared at the keys. Her fingers acted on their own, and she started to play a song. 

It was a song called _Unfaithful _by Rihanna. Hinata was searching through the Internet for a song that she really liked…and somehow…she was pulled in by this song. She loved the melody and the way her fingers moved. It made her…feel very emotional and free. Hinata didn't think of anything when she played. Sometimes, she would forget she was being watched. 

"Unfaithful…right?" Gaara leaned on the door with his arms crossed and interrupted her. Hinata turned around and blushed furiously.

"H-hai. Gomenasai!" She stood up. "Were you waiting long?" He shook his head. 

"It's alright. I wanted to see what my partner was capable of anyways…" Gaara replied as he pulled Hinata down onto the bench and sat down next to her. "Let's look through some songs…shall we?" Hinata nodded.

_Watch out, Neji-niisan…I might surpass you this time…_Hinata thought to herself confidently.

**Mshinata: **Worst…week…EVER! –Cries- So many things happened to me…I'm just really sad. It was hard for me to finish writing this…-sniff- 

**Sasuke: **Suck it up.

**Mshinata: **-sniff- S-shut up…**Marshie-chan** was banned…again on YouTube…that made me sad. Itachi-sama…I can't even say it! It's too sad. –Cries-

**Sasuke: **Don't…there are people who don't read the Manga. 

**Mshinata: **-sniff- I'll go…update faster! I promise my lovely readers. 

**Itachi: **Please give **Mshinata-san **lovely reviews. She's in a sad and depressing mood. 

**Mshinata: **This was…also inspired by _Special A _(Manga). Some of the events will be similar but…I doubt it. –Sniff- 


	2. Ready, Set, Go!

**Mshinata: **Yes…I do play piano.

**Sasuke: **Who would have known? –Rolls eyes-

**Mshinata: **Eh? –Blinks- What's that supposed to mean?

**Sasuke: **Exactly.

**Mshinata: **o.o…okay…by the way, good point **Hali-chan. **I was planning to scandalize what Sai-kun said, but since everyone was "good friends" with each other I decided not to. Lol. Yes…Sasuke is hard to figure out. I'm trying to make him unpredictable unlike Sakura or someone else. Yeah, Sakura has a little crush on Sasuke. I haven't made her show it yet but…that was only the first chapter. I focused on Hinata-chan and Neji-kun more. –hugs **Mizuki-chan **back- T-T I'm okay. As long as I'm writing, I'm fine.

**Sasuke: **Is this that "girl talk" that you always talked about before?

**Mshinata: **Yes…why?

**Sasuke: **Just curious. –Shrugs-

**Mshinata: **It's alright **ShyAnimeGirl-chan. **:D I'm just happy that I'm one of your favorite writers! Yay! –Squeals- Sasuke's relationship with Hinata…will be…unknown for a while. I might reveal it…I might not. –Snicker- I do not own Naruto or any characters specified in this fan fic. This fan fic is still dedicated to **Marshie-chan. **Yay!

"Ne…are you sure you want this piece?" Gaara raised a brow, looking at the music sheet. Hinata nodded.

"If…it's alright with you, I mean." Hinata smiled nervously. The two were still sitting in the club room on the piano bench. Gaara sighed.

"Sure, why not. I don't mind." He replied. Hinata smiled brightly. Gaara took a look at his watch.

"Oh hell…I gotta go." Gaara stood up. "You understand ne?" Hinata nodded. "Okay…then I'm off. We'll start practicing tomorrow." And he left the club room. Hinata sighed. Picking a song for the competition took longer than expected. Oh well…they had plenty of time to practice.

"Hinata-chan?" Sai walked in 10 minutes after Gaara had left. "You're not in class?" He blinked.

"E-eh…I thought maybe…skipping once or twice was good for the s-soul…" Hinata smiled nervously. Sai smiled and nodded.

"That's the spirit! My little Hina-hime is growing up to be like us…" Sai's eyes sparkled. Hinata sweat dropped.

"That reminds me," Hinata started. "Where is everyone?" Sai dropped his bag on one of the couches and sat down next to it. Sai shrugged.

"They said they were making preparations for the competition or something…I don't know." Sai said. "Hey Hinata-chan," He sat up straight.

"Hai, Sai-kun?" Hinata replied. He started to dig through his back pack.

"Can you help me with these papers that have to do with the new members?" Sai cried Anime style and held out the papers. "Sasuke-kun was being an ass hole and gave all the work to me. And besides…you said you would help." He pouted.

"U-um…sure." Hinata said. Sai's face brightened.

"Arigato! We should get started before the nuisances come." Sai said. Hinata laughed and took a seat next to Sai to start on the paper work.

oO0Oo

"Ne, Neji…" Naruto put his hands behind his head. "Do you have a partner yet?" The two were walking down the halls after Neji was done with class.

"Why?" Neji asked. "It's none of your business." Naruto sweat dropped.

"Well…it would be pretty weird if you played a duet by yourself…" Naruto mumbled. (Credit to **HopeoftheForgotten **for giving me the idea. :P)

"There is no human that can play primo and secando at the same time." Neji said. (Primo is the part of the duet in the high keys. Secando is the part of the duet played in the low keys.)

"Eh…well…I've always thought of you to be an alien." Naruto flashed a smile. Neji had an angry mark on his forehead.

"If we're late, I'm blaming you." Neji said, starting to open the club door.

"Sai-kun…like this?" Hinata asked, showing him a piece of paper.

"Hai, hai. You can replace Sasuke-kun any day, Hinata-chan!" Sai smiled. Neji and Naruto found Hinata and Sai sitting on the couch, doing paper work.

"Hello, _President._" Neji put emphasis on "president."

"Hello, Neji-kun." Sai greeted back.

"Why are you two the only ones here?" Naruto asked, dropping his bag on the floor.

"Hinata-chan decided to skip class for once! I just happened to meet her before anybody else did." Sai exclaimed proudly. Neji now had two angry marks on his forehead.

"Wait…Hinata-sama, you skipped class?" Neji asked her. Hinata reluctantly nodded. "Why?"

"U-um…-"

"She thought skipping class once or twice was good for the soul." Sai smiled. Neji, Naruto, and Hinata sweat dropped.

"Sasuke-kun, you have to tutor me. I don't get anything we're learning." Sakura whined.

"Sakura, we don't even go to class!" Ino yelled back at her. Sasuke, Sakura, and Ino entered the club room while the two girls started to fight.

"Still," Sakura reasoned. "I'm fifth! I need to get my grades up!" Sakura said confidently.

"Even if you tried your hardest than usual, the results will be the same." Sai smiled. Sakura twitched.

"I don't need your "sympathy," Sai." Sakura huffed and crossed her arms.

As Sai and Sakura started to bicker, Ino slid over to sit next to Hinata.

"Hey…how's practice with you-know-who?" Ino whispered and winked. Hinata blushed from embarrassment.

"F-fine…we haven't started to practice…d-demo…we picked a song." Hinata said.

"Really?! That's great, Hinata-chan." Ino smiled.

"So anyways," Sai ignored Sakura's harsh comments. "What were you guys doing while we were doing paper work that HINATA-CHAN volunteered to help?" Sai glared at Sasuke, but he ignored it. Neji, Naruto, and Sasuke all sat on the couch across from the couch that Sai, Hinata, and Ino were sitting on. Sakura was still standing up near Sai.

"Well…" Ino said, digging through her backpack. "Lookie!" Ino pulled out a flyer. Sai was amazed.

"You guys made flyers for the competition?!" Sai grabbed the flyer out of Ino's hands, and his eyes sparkled. "Wonderful!" He cried tears of joy.

"Not really…" Neji rolled his eyes. Ino glared at him.

"I know! Ino made me, Neji, and Sasuke-teme put all the flyers around the WHOLE school! I mean…it took us forever!" Naruto whined. Sasuke sighed.

"So what are today's activities?" Sakura asked, heading towards the club room's mini kitchen to prepare tea and some cakes. Sai shrugged.

"Don't know…right now…we're just focusing on the piano competition. So…the lessons for the new members will just have to wait." Sai said. "Anyways…we need to announce who's partnering up with whom. Hinata-chan, Neji-kun…who are your partners?" Neji and Hinata shared a quick glance with each other.

"U-um…do we have to tell everyone? Doesn't that just…ruin the tension of the competitors?" Hinata asked nervously. Sai raised a brow.

"It's more of a competition if the two competitors know who they're up against!" Sai stood up and declared. "Neji-kun! Who is your partner?!"

"TenTen. Senior, knows a lot about weaponry, has six years of experience for playing piano, and is my partner." Neji said plainly.

"TenTen?!" Ino and Sakura shouted in disbelief. Sakura set the plate of tea and cake on the table. "No way!" They both said in unison. Hinata blinked.

"TenTen…?" Hinata repeated.

"TenTen," Ino started. "She's the girl with the two buns on her head. Without those, she could be a model or something." Ino said.

"Also," Sakura started as well. "She's dated every guy and has only lasted with them for at the most a week."

"So what does this have to do with anything?" Sasuke asked, uninterested.

"Neji-kun," Sai interrupted. "Why _did _you choose TenTen? As president of this club, I have to know all of the students that have played an instrument before. I know there are other pianists that are seniors that can. So why TenTen?" He asked seriously. Neji shrugged.

"She seemed like a good candidate." Neji said bluntly. Hinata twitched at that. Good candidate? What did that mean? Sai saw Hinata's expression and brushed aside Neji.

"Hinata-chan," Sai started. "Who's your partner?" Hinata blushed furiously. Ino nudged Hinata.

"Sabaku…Gaara-kun…" Hinata said quietly.

"WHAT?!" Sakura shouted and grabbed Hinata's hands. "Gaara-kun?! I never knew you had it in you, Hinata-chan! I'm so proud of you!" Sakura squeezed her. Sasuke's eyes darkened.

"Why the hell did you choose that bastard?" Sasuke beat Sai to it. Sakura let go of the suffocating Hinata.

"Isn't it obvious, Sasuke-kun?" Ino waved a finger in the air. "Gaara-kun is only second to you…not to mention, he looks natural in every pose possible. Who would have known he was a pianist?" Ino sighed dreamily. Neji scoffed.

"It's not like they're getting married, you two." Neji said.

"It's not that bad." Naruto finally spoke up. "Gaara's a good guy. I think that's great, Hinata-chan!" Naruto flashed Hinata a smile. Neji stood up and stood in front of Hinata.

"Guess this means we're rivals." Neji said. Hinata snapped.

"We were and still are rivals!" Hinata shouted back confidently and also stood up. Neji smirked.

"I'll be looking forward to the competition then." Neji walked away.

And Hinata stood there…shaking. She didn't know what she was shaking from. It was either the fact that he was partnered up with one of the prettiest girls or that he actually challenged her rather than herself challenging him…

oO0Oo

"What's wrong?" Gaara stopped playing.

"Nothing's wrong…why do you ask?" Hinata faked a smile. She had learned it from the president of the Musical Club.

"You're faking a smile, again." He said. He removed his fingers from the keys and set them on his lap.

_How did he…_Hinata didn't get to finish her thought.

"Besides…you played with less emotion today rather than the other day." Gaara replied. She clenched her fists that were on her lap. "It's Neji…isn't it?" Hinata quietly sighed.

"I guess you can say that…" Hinata mumbled.

"I've always seen you two do whatever to compete with each other…but I've never seen you actually…lose confidence with him." Gaara said.

"This time's…different…somehow." Hinata said.

"It's okay to lose, you know. There's always next time." Gaara said. Hinata snapped.

"What if…what if there wasn't a next time? If we give up, everything we worked for has been in vain!" Hinata shouted. Gaara's lips formed into a smirk.

"Tomorrow's the big day. You'd better play with more emotion then if you want to win." Gaara smiled warmly.

"…yes!" Hinata smiled.

The day of the competition had arrived. Naruto carefully asked his uncle for the four competitors to play in the huge auditorium. His uncle was the principal after all. He couldn't resist his nephew's cute face.

Hinata was backstage and sitting in a chair. She fidgeted and sighed from time to time.

"Hey," Gaara said, walking towards her.

"H-hi." Hinata nervously said.

"Nervous…I can tell." Gaara said. Hinata nodded. "Take a deep breath…and just look forward. If you look down at your feet, you can't see where you're going. Okay?" Gaara said, lifting Hinata's chin with his hand. Hinata smiled.

"H-hai."

Somewhere else backstage there was Neji and TenTen.

"Ne, Neji-kun…what if we lose?" TenTen asked. TenTen was a girl with long brown hair with short bangs in the front. She usually wore her hair in buns but since this was important, she wore her hair long.

Neji didn't answer. TenTen raised a brow.

"Aren't you scared of your reputation?" TenTen asked.

"Unlike you, my status in this school doesn't matter. You care for those things too much." Neji plainly said. TenTen sweat dropped. "And unlike you…I don't have a reputation for having a lot of boyfriends." He said.

"Eh?! I…I would never do such a thing!" TenTen blushed furiously.

"Our first team is Neji and TenTen!" Naruto announced from the microphone from the stage.

"Time to go." Neji said as TenTen followed behind.

"Gaara-kun," Hinata tugged at his sleeve.

"Hn?" Gaara replied.

"I want to listen to them closer…is that okay?" Hinata said.

"Sure." Gaara said and pulled Hinata along to listen to Neji and TenTen play. They were on the right side of the stage behind the curtains.

As the two played along, Gaara noticed something.

"Hey…does your cousin always play like this?" Gaara asked.

"U-um…what do you mean?" Hinata blinked.

"He's playing with more emotion than I can remember…" Gaara looked at Hinata. Hinata smiled.

"Maybe he wants to win." Hinata said.

"But he's a genius. He doesn't need to try hard to win…unless…" Gaara looked back at Neji. _Unless he…wants…someone's attention…hm…_Gaara secretly glanced at Hinata.

When the song was over, the audience clapped loudly. Neji bowed, earning squeals and screams from fan girls.

"Thank you, Neji and TenTen!" Naruto ran onto the stage and pointed to the two as they left. "Okay…next are two of my best friends, Gaara and Hinata!"

_Since when was I his best friend? _Gaara sweat dropped.

The two got on the stage and Hinata was amazed by all the students that came to hear her and Gaara play.

"We're much honored to play for you today," Gaara bowed. All the girls squealed and screamed. "Let's do this."

"Hai." Hinata said confidently.

Hinata gracefully placed her fingers on the keys and waited for Gaara's signal. The two played and Hinata didn't feel anything at that moment. She felt as if…everything she was doing right then…was gone. She and Gaara were the only ones at that white room that Hinata imagined…playing a duet just for fun. She closed her eyes and let her fingers do the work. And when the song finally stopped, cheers from the audience woke Hinata up from her illusion.

Gaara pulled Hinata onto the front of the stage and bowed with her.

"Thank you, Gaara and Hinata!" Naruto ran onto the stage and suddenly congratulated them for some random reason. "Now…what did our judges think?" Naruto looked at the two men sitting at the judges' table.

"Neji."

"Hinata-chan."

The two answered in unison.

"Sasuke-kun, you're only choosing Neji-kun because you hate Gaara-kun!" Sai, one of the judges, shouted at Sasuke.

"And you're only choosing Hinata-chan because you're fond of her!" Sasuke, the other judge, shouted at him.

Neji and TenTen joined Gaara and Hinata on stage. Hinata giggled.

"They're so funny." Hinata said. Neji stood by Hinata and warmly smiled.

"You were great, Hinata-sama." Neji said, boldly holding her hand. Hinata flinched at the contact but relaxed to it.

"Arigato…you weren't so bad yourself." Hinata teased.

"I gave you a compliment and that's all you have to say?" Neji said emotionlessly. Hinata laughed.

"Yes." She said. "Arigato gozaimasu for playing with me, Gaara-kun." She turned to face Gaara.

"You're welcome. I can play with a princess anytime." Gaara said. Hinata blushed from embarrassment. Neji glared at Gaara. Naruto laughed nervously.

"Hinata-chan!" Sai started to fight with Sasuke.

"Neji!" Sasuke punched Sai but he dodged it. Neji sighed.

"What idiots."

oO0Oo

"So in the end, there wasn't really a winner." Ino sighed, crossing her arms.

"Demo…it was fun." Hinata said.

"Fun or not, you worked so hard!" Sakura said. The trio was walking down the hallways the day after the competition.

"It's alright…someone told me that there's always next time…" Hinata said, thinking about Gaara. Ino smiled warmly.

"Hey…how much did the principal charge for using the auditorium?" Ino asked Sakura. She shrugged.

"Who knows…but…it wasn't free, that's for sure." Sakura replied.

"Eh? It wasn't?!" Hinata was shocked.

"Nope." Ino said bluntly. "And yes, Naruto's uncle is _that _mean. There's only two ways we can solve this. Either each of us raises a share of money and gives it to him, or…" Ino looked at Sakura.

"I already told him…HELL NO!" Sakura shouted.

"But it's only dating Naruto!" Ino whined. "Wasting money on such a thing is a waste."

"You shut up!" Sakura shouted. Hinata sweat dropped.

"I think…I'm going to get a job…" Hinata thought aloud.

"EH?!" Ino and Sakura shouted in disbelief.

"My Hinata-chan getting a job?! That's so…unimaginable!" Sakura said, shaking Hinata's shoulders. "I won't allow it! Say…I'll even pay for your share too!"

"Sakura!" Ino scolded. "Hinata-chan…you're serious?" Hinata nodded. Ino sighed. "There's only one person you can come to help and that's..."

"SASUKE-TEME!!" Sai shouted from the club room. The three girls ran into the club room.

"What's wrong?!" Hinata shouted. Sasuke and Sai were on the ground, fighting each other.

"Hinata-chan! I won't forgive him for choosing Neji as the winner while I chose you!" Sai shouted. He was on top of Sasuke, strangling him.

"Opening." Sasuke said calmly and was now on top of him and pinned him down.

"Sasuke-kun…onegai…" Hinata said. (Onegai means please.)

"Tch. Fine." He got off of Sai and stood up. "What do you need?" He was looking at Hinata. She blinked.

"Nani?" Hinata asked.

"Sasuke-kun," Ino started. "She wants to tutor your brother so she can help pay off her share of the auditorium thing." Everything was silent and dead.

"TUTOR?!" Sai regained consciousness and stood up.

"Why the hell do you want to do that? Don't you have a place where you have money stored?" Sasuke asked. Hinata sweat dropped.

"She's not rich, dumb ass." Ino replied.

"There's no need." Sasuke answered. "My brother can fail for all I care."

"You don't…care about your brother's studies?" Hinata asked sadly.

"No…I don't care about how he fails life." Sasuke stuffed his hands into his pockets. Everyone sweat dropped.

"I think Uchiha's actually making sense for once." Neji came into the conversation with Naruto.

"Yeah! Of course Sasuke-teme doesn't want little angelic Hinata-chan into his house. His house is a mess! He doesn't want to be embarrassed." Naruto nudged Sasuke.

"Baka." Sasuke said to Naruto.

"W-well…I can clean it then…" Hinata said, taking Naruto's joke literally. Naruto burst into laughter. Hinata blinked.

"You're so cute, Hinata-chan." Naruto said. Neji and Sai glared at him.

"Another reason is that Uchiha is scared that Hinata-sama will rape him…WHICH…she won't." Neji added. Sasuke had angry marks on his forehead.

"FINE, DAMN IT." Sasuke said. "You can tutor my brother…and I'll…I'll pay you…" Sasuke said, his words seething with anger. Hinata trembled in fear.

"Yay! Hinata-chan got a job!" Ino said.

"Aww, no fair! She gets to go to Sasuke-kun's house!" Sakura pouted.

"ONLY you…can come, Hinata." Sasuke emphasized.

oO0Oo

Hinata and Neji stood in front of the huge Uchiha estate. Hinata looked at it in awe while Neji was disgusted.

"Ready to face death?" Neji asked seriously. Hinata sweat dropped. He slowly opened the door.

"Welcome, Hyuuga-sama." Two lines of maids greeted Hinata. One line was on one side of the room while the other was on the other side.

"I thought I told you to come….ALONE." Sasuke said, walking down the stairs. Hinata trembled.

"For your information Uchiha, I do not trust you in any way shape or form." Neji held Hinata close to his side. Sasuke scoffed.

"I'm not paying you." Sasuke said, referring to Neji.

"That's fine with me." Neji glared. Sasuke had an angry mark on his forehead.

So as Hinata sighed, she was thinking of all the torturing that Neji could do to Sasuke or Sasuke could do to Neji. At that moment, she wished she tied up Neji at home.

**To be continued…**

**Mshinata: **YES!! I was very confident to finish this. 'Cause…I love this fan fic. –Smiles-

**Sasuke: **She hates all the others.

**Mshinata: **That is not true! I do have two other stories I have to write…but I'm not complaining unlike SOMEONE who's always CRITICIZING me. –Glares at Sasuke-

**Sasuke: **-sighs- Itachi being mean to you again?

**Mshinata: **It's you, stupid! T-T

**Sasuke: **Thought so. –Smirks-

**Mshinata: **Oh…if you're a SasuSaku fan or you just want to read another fan fic of my cousin's and mine please go to **wittokaawit's **profile and click on _No One. _We wrote it together so…yeah. I like it. –Smiles-

**Sasuke: **Pshh, it's because **wittokaawit **and you wrote it. –Rolls eyes-

**Mshinata: **Still! You gotta admit…I love her writing.

**Sasuke: **I think that-

**Mshinata: **-duct tapes Sasuke's mouth shut-

**Neji: **Hey…didn't you do that to me in the past?

**Mshinata: **-blinks- Yes…why?

**Neji: **Never mind…he's better quiet.

**Mshinata: **-nods- Agreed.

**Neji: **Please give the person who duct taped Sasuke's mouth shut lovely reviews, or she's never removing the duct tape from Sasuke's mouth.

**Mshinata: **Neji-kun…that's not a nice thing to say.

**Neji: **-whispers- That's the only way to get reviews.

**Sasuke: **-trying to rip off the duct tape-

**Mshinata: **HEY!! If you try to rip it off, it might rip your skin off!

**Neji: **-smirks-

**Sasuke: **-cries Anime style-

**Mshinata: **Btw, I think it's "Secondo" instead of "Secando." I haven't been playing duets since my partner/best friend quit piano (T-T). So...I forgot how to spell it.


	3. Ugh, Another Challenge

**Mshinata: **A lot of people have been asking me about the 2nd chapter. All questions will be answered in this chapter…hopefully. –Nervous smile-

**Sasuke: **Yeah, 'cause she easily lets people down.

**Mshinata: **That is NOT true!

**Sasuke: **I see.

**Mshinata: **What do you mean "I see?"

**Sasuke: **Exactly.

**Mshinata: **Fighting with you is getting really old…

**Sasuke: **Let's call it a truce then. –Takes hand out-

**Mshinata: **-laughs hysterically- Doesn't mean I'm going to stop. –Smiles- I love Sai in this fan fic. He's my kind of guy. Haha.

**Sai: Mshinata-chan **always prefers me over Sasuke-kun. –Smiles-

**Sasuke: **Pshh, she has bad taste in men. –Rolls eyes-

**Mshinata: **-sniff- I'm going to hit you again for **Gaara'slittlegirl. **–Hits Sasuke- Oh…and for **HopeoftheForgotten. **–Tapes Sasuke's mouth shut-

**Neji: **Déjà vu…

**Mshinata: **Aha! So you DO remember. –Smiles-

**Neji: **-shivers-

**Sai: Mshinata-chan **does not own Naruto. If she did, she would make the Manga chapters upload faster.

Sasuke and Neji were having a death glare competition. Sasuke was sitting on one side of the room on a couch while Neji was sitting on the other side. Hinata observed the two and sweat dropped.

Neji was sitting with his arms and legs crossed while Sasuke slouched over with his hands stuffed in his pockets…shows how similar they are.

"N-ne…Sasuke-kun…w-where's your brother?" Hinata bravely broke the thick tension between the two guys.

"He's…coming." Sasuke simply said and kept glaring at Neji. Hinata sweat dropped.

"He better hurry up." Neji closed his eyes, implying that he was tired of glaring at Sasuke. Sasuke smirked. "We don't have all day to spend time with…these people." Neji said with a graceful smirk planted across his face. Sasuke had an angry mark on his forehead.

"Hold your horses, Hyuuga-kun." A deep masculine voice replied as steps were being heard, going down the stairs. "You called, Sasuke-teme?"

"Itachi…this is…Hinata Hyuuga. Your tutor." Sasuke said, pointing to Hinata. She stood up and bowed and Neji stood up.

"It's very nice to meet you…um…Itachi-kun." Hinata stood up straight and found herself in front of Sasuke's brother.

_He's…older than Sasuke?! What the fuck?! Is he some sort of drop out?! _Neji thought angrily.

"Gomen that you have to tutor…_him_," Sasuke glared at Itachi for a moment. "But he seemed up for it. He's in college…but he's behind. Since you're always on top of your game, Hinata, I assumed that you learned even some things more advanced than high school…?" Sasuke raised a brow. Hinata slowly nodded.

"Maybe a thing or two…" Hinata said.

"Sasuke, you sound like you're our mother." Itachi said. Sasuke sighed out of frustration.

"I'll have to sound like her for you to actually listen, dumb ass." Sasuke said.

"That's no way to treat your older brother." Itachi retorted.

"I'd rather treat a younger brother with respect." Sasuke rolled his eyes. Hinata and Neji sweat dropped.

_Such rude brothers…_Neji thought to himself.

"Anyways Hinata," Sasuke turned back to Hinata. "Just teach him whatever his weak point is in…of course…I don't think Father wants any distractions…" Sasuke said, implying Neji.

"It's my duty to follow Hinata-sama everywhere." Neji said firmly.

"What a bore…you live with her. You can have her all to yourself later." Itachi smirked. Neji blushed a dark shade of red.

"T-that's sick!" Neji shouted. Hinata blinked.

"Nii-san…what does he mean?" She kept blinking. Itachi smirked with pleasure while Sasuke sweat dropped.

_She's so freakin' dense…_Sasuke thought to himself. "I'm going…you guys have fun." He made a curt wave and dragged Neji by his collar along with him upstairs.

"L-let go of me, Uchiha!" Neji shouted, trying to escape from Sasuke's grasp.

"Shut up. It's not like I want to do this…" Sasuke mumbled.

"W-what…do you mean?" Neji said, calming down. Sasuke let go of his collar and didn't face him.

"You care about her. We'll just…listen into their tutoring session. It's alright…no need to worry or anything." Sasuke said and walked down the hall to his room.

Neji stared at the back of Sasuke. He just didn't understand the Uchiha family.

oO0Oo

"Do you get it now?" Hinata asked, demonstrating the problem again.

"More or less…" Itachi said, continuing to practice what she had taught her. (Sorry…I'm not in college so…-sweat drops-) Hinata stared at Itachi's hard working face. They were sitting in his room at his work desk. His room was neat and clean. She wondered why such an organized person would need…tutoring. Right now, Itachi was working hard. She could tell. But then, why would he be…failing out of college? "Why am I failing out of college? That's a good question." Itachi said, putting his mechanical pencil down and closed his eyes. She was startled.

"H-how did you-" Hinata started but stopped when Itachi gave her an expressionless look.

"You're predictable." Itachi said with no expression whatsoever on his face. "Sorry…but I cannot answer your question for now…" He picked up his mechanical pencil again and continued to work.

Itachi was acting…really strange just now. Back with Sasuke and Neji, he was acting like an immature adult…but…right then, he was acting really mature (in a scary way Hinata thought) and was serious about his studies.

It took about ten minutes for Itachi to finish all of the problems. He gave her his paper and she became wide-eyed.

"T-they're…correct." Hinata said in surprise.

"What do you expect?" Itachi said, leaning on his palm on the table. Hinata blinked.

"…w-what…exactly do you mean?" Hinata asked.

"Iie. It's nothing." Itachi shook his head.

"A-alright…" Hinata said with a worried expression.

"Onegai. Don't worry about me. I'm not worth your time." Itachi said coldly. Hinata was shocked by his words. "I have a bit of trouble with this. Can you help me?" Itachi changed the subject by holding up a packet of work. Hinata nodded, but still wondered if this guy was okay.

oO0Oo

"Your brother is…weird." Neji whispered as he leaned in closer to hear better onto the conversation.

"Eh…that's him." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"He was so serious…why?" Neji asked.

"Who knows…he's always acting like that when he's around me." Sasuke said. "I don't think...he will cause Hinata any harm…for now." Sasuke said, standing up straight.

"Hey…" Neji said, catching up to him. "What's up with your brother?"

"Like I said…who knows?" Sasuke said, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "It's not like I care for the guy. Sure he's family, but he's old enough to take care of himself." Neji stopped following Sasuke.

_Not caring for a family member, eh…? _Neji thought to himself.

He knew he could never do that.

oO0Oo

Hinata sighed of relief.

"Looks like we're done for the day." Hinata smiled brightly, stood up, and stretched. Itachi slightly smiled and stood up, too.

"Hai. Arigato gozaimasu, Hinata…hime." Itachi said, gently holding her hand and kissing it. Hinata blushed from embarrassment.

"By the way…I don't think…you'll need my tutoring, ne?" Hinata asked. Itachi gently let go of her hand. He didn't answer.

"That's…right." Itachi said. He looked…disappointed? Hinata didn't know why, but it was best for her not to butt in his life.

"Well," Hinata bowed. "I better get going with nii-san." She was beginning to walk away when Itachi grabbed her arm and pinned her to the door.

"You…wanted to know what I meant back there…right?" Itachi whispered. Hinata didn't answer. This guy was really frightening her. "I take that as a yes."

"I really…got to get-"

"My brother…" Itachi sighed and let go of Hinata. His back faced her. "I've always been getting the attention…you saw me answer those problems and get them correct, ne?" Hinata nodded. "I hate that." Hinata turned wide-eyed.

"Demo…that sort of talent is to be admired!" Hinata retorted. "I would…love to be someone who's…good at everything." Hinata pictured Neji just playing a song with his fingers moving gracefully on the piano.

Itachi didn't answer. "It's not as much of a blessing as you think it is."

"Nani?" Hinata questioned.

"The one who is always better at everything than the other person is acknowledged more. He is admired more." Itachi explained and turned back to face her. "That is why…I'm failing school." Hinata was shocked.

"That's n-no reason to fail school! It doesn't even make sense! And…what does this have to do with Sasuke-kun…?" Hinata muttered the last sentence.

"It makes perfect sense. Of course…you should know. You're always second to Neji." Itachi answered. Hinata twitched. It took her a few seconds and she finally realized the problem.

"You're failing…because you care about Sasuke-kun?" Hinata asked. Itachi didn't answer.

"You can say that."

"Demo…why?" Hinata asked. "Sasuke-kun is a very capable person. I heard from Neji-niisan that he could successfully succeed in the Uchiha business."

"Compared to me, Sasuke is stupid." Itachi answered bluntly. Hinata sweat dropped. "I'm the genius…and…to make Sasuke get attention…I must be worse at everything than him."

"I see…" Hinata replied, not knowing what to say. So…his brother was just worried about Sasuke. That's why he was failing school and doing this. "But if Sasuke-kun found out, wouldn't he be angry?"

"Eh…I guess so." Itachi returned to his immature self and chuckled. "But…brothers bicker, ne? It just means he acknowledges me. I think he knows that I'm acting stupid on purpose." Itachi smiled.

_Acknowledges him…_Hinata thought to her. If Neji was her rival, it meant that he actually acknowledged her. It made her smile.

"So anyways," Itachi said. "You can go." Itachi waved.

They said their good-byes and Hinata was on her way.

"Oh…I almost forgot. Please…don't fail school. Wouldn't that also make Sasuke-kun mad?" Hinata asked and left with a smile. Itachi stood there confused.

"What a strange girl…" Itachi smiled, running a hand through his hair.

"How pathetic." Neji said.

"Tch. Shut up." Sasuke had a tinge of blush on his face. They were both at the front door, waiting for Hinata.

"Um…what are you talking about?" Hinata asked.

"It's nothing, Hinata-sama." Neji smiled. "Uchiha's just being an idiot. Let's go."

"You're brother won't need any tutoring. I think he's fine." Hinata said.

"Really? Eh…alright." Sasuke was surprised but brushed it off.

The three said their good-byes and Neji and Hinata were on their way home.

"Ne Neji-niisan…" Hinata said. "If we're rivals…you acknowledge me, ne?" Hinata asked. Neji blushed from embarrassment.

"W-what kind of question is that?" Neji asked.

"Never mind." Hinata shook her head. She happily walked with Neji back home.

oO0Oo

Hinata ran to the club room as fast as she could.

_I know he's not there…maybe I'll be first this time. _Hinata happily thought to herself.

"Hey, wait up!" Ino called out, running after her.

Hinata came into the club room, panting. She scanned the club room and inwardly cheered.

"First." Neji said, suddenly appearing at the tea table and reading a book. Hinata and Ino sweat dropped.

"How…when…why…where?!" Ino shouted. "We could've sworn you weren't in here!"

"Well…apparently you're blind." Neji said, shutting his book closed and looking at her.

"How can you call Hinata-chan blind? That's mean!" Ino said, hugging her.

"No…I was calling _you _blind." Neji said. Ino had an angry mark on her forehead. Hinata sat down next to Neji and Ino sat down next to Hinata. "So…I guess that means I'm first." Neji said emotionlessly. Hinata twitched.

"Hey." Sasuke walked in and sat across from Neji.

"Where are the others?" Neji asked. Sasuke shrugged.

"Loitering around or something. I don't know." Sasuke said. "You act as if I'm their caretaker."

"Well…yes. You've been known to take care of Sai, Sakura, and Naruto you know…" Neji replied.

"Tch. Shut up." Sasuke said, looking the other way.

"Guys!" Sakura slammed the door open and panted. "We have a problem here." She said nervously running over to the tea table.

"What's wrong?" Ino asked as all heads turned to face Sakura.

"Just listen to the broadcast." Sai said as he and Naruto walked in.

"_This is the student council president speaking! Yosh! I've been released from the hospital because of many injuries from my last challenge!"_

All the members of the Musical Club sweat dropped.

"_You may all visit me if you please! Let the youth flow!"_

"I'm not going." Naruto sweat dropped.

"Agreed." Sai said as he sat down next to Sasuke. All the members nodded.

oO0Oo

"Hey, do you hear something?" Sakura asked as she sipped her tea.

"Eh…sounds like…someone running?" Ino answered.

"Looks like we have an idiotic guest." Sai smiled as the door slammed open.

"NARUTO-KUN, SASUKE-KUN, SAI-KUN, AND NEJI!" The guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes said with a finger pointed at them.

"I think we know who we are, Lee." Neji stated. Lee sweat dropped.

"Why didn't you come visit me, Neji?" Lee said as he cried Anime style.

"I felt there was no need since you have so much energy." Neji said, sipping his tea.

"Why does Lee act this way?" Ino asked Hinata and Sakura.

"They've been friends since forever." Hinata answered with a smile.

"Sakura-san!" Lee ran over to Sakura. "Aren't you happy to see me?" He grabbed her hand.

"U-um…" Sakura sweat dropped.

"Hey! Back off, Lee!" Naruto shouted.

"Naruto-kun," Lee started, "do you want a challenge?" He had a twinkle in his eye.

"Let's not destroy my club room, okay?" Sai sweat dropped.

"No, let's destroy it." Sasuke said.

"Haha Sasuke-kun, you suck." Sai smiled.

"Ahem," Lee cleared his throat, "Sai-kun is right. I'm not here to win Sakura-san's heart…yet." Lee said.

"Then, go away. No one wants you here." Neji said bluntly. Everyone sweat dropped.

"Ah Neji…because of your attitude, barely anyone showed up to visit me!" Lee said, pointing at Neji.

"U-um…what does that have to do with anything?" Hinata asked.

"Neji really had no interest in seeing his old friend so all his fans decided not to come visit me either." Lee Anime cried again.

"I don't think anyone wanted to go visit him, anyways." Sasuke mumbled.

"Neji, Hinata-san," Lee pointed at the two cousins, "you're performance the other day was astounding! Do you mind to do another challenge?"

"I…I don't think I can choose a song and get another person to play a duet with me…" Hinata said nervously.

"No! I mean…you two can play a duet…_together._" Lee said. "I already have challengers in mind who want to defeat you."

"I'm not interested in creating any more rivals…let's see…the only one worthy of me is Hinata-sama." Neji stood up and faced his old friend, Rock Lee. Hinata's heart skipped a beat. _W-worthy?_

"Oho," Lee said with a sly look on his face, "are you…scared?" Neji sweat dropped.

"The only one scared is Sakura and Ino and that is because of your thick eyebrows." Neji said. Lee laughed and swung his arm over Neji.

"The same as always, Neji! So do you accept the challenge?" Lee asked with a twinkle in his eye.

"Of…of course we're not scared!" Hinata stood up with a sudden surge of confidence. "We're going to accept the challenge!"

"W-wait…you are?!" Sai, Naruto, and Sakura said in astonishment.

"My Hinata-chan!" Sakura cried Anime style. "You're going to get yourself hurt!"

"The only way to get her hurt is if she banged her head on the piano." Sasuke said and sipped his tea.

"You really are crackin' some wise jokes today, Sasuke-kun." Ino sweat dropped.

"Sasuke-teme's on fire." Naruto teased.

"Hinata-sama…" Neji said. Hinata nodded confidently. He sighed. "Fine. We accept."

"YOSH!" Lee let go of Neji. "IT'S A CHALLENGE THEN! I'LL TALK ABOUT YOUR CHALLENGERS LATER, OKAY?! OKAY!" And he ran out of the club room.

"Can I ask why you've been friends with such an annoying and loud guy for so long?" Naruto asked. "I mean…I couldn't live with a guy like that." He crossed his arms and nodded. Sai and Sasuke sweat dropped.

"Yes, because you're one of the quietest and calmest guys I have ever seen, Naruto-kun." Sai smiled.

"Exactly!" Naruto flashed a smile. "Everyone should follow my example."

"Baka." Ino and Sakura muttered under their breath.

oO0Oo

"I still can't believe you have until the end of the day to play a song!" Naruto shouted at Neji as Neji, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sai were walking down the hallways.

"Tch." Neji replied.

"Hm…you know what's weird, Neji-kun?" Sai waved a finger in the air. "You immediately went with Hinata-chan's decision even if you didn't agree with it personally. Why?" Neji closed his eyes.

"There's no reason for me to answer that." Neji said, shoving his hands into his pockets. Sai and Naruto looked at each other.

"Let them do what they want. I'm going home." Sasuke said, flipping his school bag over his shoulder.

"Eh?! Don't you want to stay for the competition?!" Naruto shouted as Sasuke started to walk towards the exit.

"Not really." He replied and left the school building.

oO0Oo

"Sasuke-kun left early?!" Sakura asked, shaking Naruto's shoulders while crying.

"Y-yeah…" Naruto said and tidied up his tie on his school uniform after Sakura was done…shaking him.

"Anyways," Sai said seriously, "do you guys have a song in mind?" He looked at both Hyuugas. All of the Musical Club members (except for –cough- lazy Sasuke) were gathered back in the club room after the lunch break. Hinata slowly shook her head and sighed. "Eh…that's a shame."

"I hate doing these competitions." Ino said, helping Sakura bring out the tea and cakes.

"What are you talking about? You barely participate in any…" Sai sweat dropped.

"Exactly! Look at all this trouble Lee has put Hinata-chan into." Ino sighed and cupped her cheek. "It makes me sad to say that she has another challenge. That's the challenge of life I guess."

"You make no sense, Ino." Sakura sighed.

"Can we practice for a change?" Neji asked.

"Why? Aren't you two like geniuses? So…it's no problem. Just walk in there and play whatever you feel like it." Naruto said, putting his feet up on the table while he sat down. Neji and Hinata sweat dropped. Sakura gave a good punch on Naruto's head.

"They're not super geniuses, Naruto." Sakura scolded.

"Ehe…gomen, gomen." Naruto sweat dropped, rubbing the bump on his head.

oO0Oo

"I really don't care." Neji dropped down on the couch and crossed his arms. Hinata blinked.

"This is important, though. I mean…Lee-san seemed to be confident that our challengers were…really good." Hinata worried.

"Tch. Since when were you worried about our opponents? You always seem to be confident when you face me." Neji pointed out and looked at Hinata. She blushed a deep scarlet.

"That's…" Hinata trailed off and averted Neji's gaze. Neji sighed.

"Whatever. Let's just do this." Neji said and went to go sit down on the piano bench.

"H-hai!" Hinata followed and sat down next to him.

oO0Oo

"Welcome guys and girls to the first piano competition against Team Lee and Team Hyuuga!" Sakura announced on a big stage outside of the school. The school seemed to afford anything…even if it was expensive. All the seats in the audience were filled up with fans of the two Hyuuga prodigies.

"We know you can do it, Neji-sama!" A group of girls shouted out with a banner that said "Go Neji-sama!" with hearts drawn all over the place.

Hinata looked outside and immediately came back to back stage. She took a deep breath.

"You already faced against me. Why are you so nervous as to play the piano with me?" Neji raised a brow.

"…I…" Hinata couldn't seem to find the words she was looking for.

"Oh my gosh! Looks like we get to see the competition, don't we?" Sakura announced once again in her microphone. She pointed to the two figures, coming onto the stage.

"And who are you guys?" Sakura said, giving the duo the microphone.

"We are called…the Sabaku Siblings." They both said in unison. As soon as Hinata heard this, she immediately peeked out of the curtain on the side of the stage to get a better view.

_Sa…Sa…Sabaku?! _Hinata thought to herself in panic. So…Gaara was their opponent?!

"Ahh…I see, I see. You're Gaara-kun's siblings, yes?" Sakura asked.

"Hai. I'm Temari and this is Kankuro." The girl said cheerfully. "We'll do our best today to try and beat the Hyuugas!" She exclaimed and everyone cheered. Hinata sighed. _False alarm…_

"Looks like pianists run in the family." Neji said. Hinata nodded.

"Good thing it wasn't Gaara-kun…" Hinata truthfully said. Neji raised a brow.

"Why?" He asked.

"It…it would be hard for me." Hinata admitted. This made Neji boil.

"Now…the moment you have all been waiting for…NEJI AND HINATA HYUUGA!" Sakura announced. "Please come on the stage, you two!"

Hinata hesitantly walked onto the stage but Neji pushed her forward.

"Don't look back or down." He briefly said and followed her onto the stage.

"Neji-senpai…Hinata-chan…do you have any words to your challengers before we start?" Sakura asked.

"Good luck." Neji bowed, earning squeals from many fan girls.

"Same." The brother called Kankuro replied.

"Okay…this competition will be different." Sakura said a twinkle was shining brightly in her eyes. "You see…it doesn't matter how many mistakes you get. As long as you put enough emotion into it, the best team will win!"

"Hai." Hinata, Kankuro, and Temari all said in unison.

"First off, Team Lee." Sakura said.

_Flashback_

"_Hyuuga." Sasuke said._

"_Eh? I thought you went home, Uchiha." Neji said._

"_I thought I would warn you." Sasuke said. _

"_Oh? So you worry about me, then?" Neji raised a brow._

"_Not for you," Sasuke shook his head, "for Hinata." Neji glared at Sasuke for this._

"_I know the way you play the piano, Hyuuga." Sasuke said._

"_How so?" Neji asked curiously, testing Sasuke's knowledge._

"…_I know for a fact that you are better than Hinata…but in a way…you lack something that she has." Sasuke said technically. A sweat bead appeared on Neji's temple._

"_And what's that?" Neji asked._

"_Emotion." Sasuke plainly said._

"_Tch…you got to be kidding me." Neji scoffed._

"_You lack emotion in the way you play piano. I don't think Hinata realizes that yet…" Sasuke said. "That's why I think this is a waste of time. You're going to lose."_

"_I never lose." Neji said._

"_It's because you always get everything right. But in the end, you play like a robot; always following orders and doing whatever you think is right." Sasuke said. "But Hinata…the way she plays is…she plays with her heart." Neji twitched._

"_That's why…you were so hesitant as to go along with the competition. You were afraid you were going to lose." Sasuke said. "Then again…I might be wrong."_

"_You're very talkative today, Uchiha." Neji smirked. Sasuke smirked back._

"_Well then…let's see who will win…shall we?" Sasuke said as he walked away._

_End of Flashback_

**To be continued…**

**Mshinata: **Haha, sorry for the late update…-sweat drops and bows- I've been too busy watching _Clannad._

**Sasuke: **WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?! YOU ALWAYS WATCH ANIME INSTEAD OF UPDATE!

**Mshinata: **I'm sorry! –Sad- It's too good to miss out on. Besides…_Vampire Knight, Code Geass R2, _and _Special A _came out. My friend yelled at me for not being an Otaku. Lol. I can't understand RAW episodes. –Cries-

**Sasuke: **That's just too damn bad.

**Mshinata: **-ignores Sasuke- Ah _Clannad…_such a sad and sweet Anime (the series). I want to go watch it again!

**Everyone: **NO!

**Mshinata: **-pouts- Why not?

**Sasuke: **So you can update faster.

**Mshinata: **Fine.

**Sasuke: **Does this mean you'll stop watching all this Anime and update faster?!

**Mshinata: **No.

**Gaara: **Lol. Owned.

**Ino: Mshinata-chan **needs nice reviews please. –Smiles- She made this chapter extra long.


	4. Stay By My Side

**Mshinata: **-sighs- I love brotherly love…especially Hikaru-kun and Kaoru-kun's in Ouran High Host Club. –Sparkly eyes-

**Sasuke: **You know what's weird…you're like…obsessed with them.

**Mshinata: **Eh? Because they're cute! –Squeals- You and Itachi-sama should be more like them.

**Itachi and Sasuke: **No.

**Mshinata: **You two are no fun. –Pouts- I made Sasuke mysterious on purpose. I wanted him to have as many random intentions as possible…

**Sasuke: **What the fuck does that mean?

**Mshinata: **I don't know…Actually, everyone should read the Naruto Manga. In the latest chapters, Kishimoto-sensei has revealed that Itachi-sama is actually caring for Sasuke.

**Sasuke: **Ew.

**Mshinata: **Aww…**Pretty Cities, **thank you! That review was really nice of you. –Smiles- And again…SAI-KUN IS THE BEST!

**Sai: Mshinata-chan **does not own Naruto. If she did, she wouldn't have made Itachi…well…yeah.

Team Lee (Kankuro and Temari) actually did not make any mistakes…even Neji was intimidated. After remembering the damned Uchiha's words, he started to get nervous…which was unlikely of him.

"Neji-niisan…" Hinata whispered. Neji snapped out of his thoughts. "Are you okay?" She looked worriedly at him. He nodded a little. They were both behind the curtains again, listening to the other team play.

"Please…don't worry about me." Neji said with a faint smile. Hinata nodded slowly. Neji's clenched his fists. "Hinata-sama..." Neji suddenly said.

"Nani, Neji-niisan?" Hinata blinked.

"…we should…forfeit." Neji said. Hinata's eyes widened.

"Nani?! You want to forfeit?! But why?!" Hinata said in a loud whisper.

"It's for your own good." Neji said coldly. Hinata's heart fell.

"Did you just imply…" Hinata started. "…that…that I'm not good enough to play with you?" Neji's eyes widened but then returned back to his serious expression.

"…yes." Neji said. Tears started to form in her eyes.

"Neji-niisan…" Hinata said in a shaky voice. "I…I never knew you were this way…yes…you were always better…but I never knew that…I was such a nuisance."

"Yes…you were…annoying." Neji said. Hinata twitched.

_Stop._

Hinata's body moved on her own and she ran out of backstage and into the school grounds.

_I don't want you to be disappointed in me…Hinata-sama. _Neji sighed. Team Lee's song was almost over…

oO0Oo

_Baka…baka…baka! _Hinata chanted in her mind. _Neji-niisan's a jerk…and I'm an idiot…_

Hinata kept running and crying at the same time. She didn't care where she went. She just wanted to stay away from Neji's ambitions and goals.

"Hinata-chan?" A voice stopped her. She slowed down and stopped, not even wanting to look back at the person who called her.

"Hinata-chan…what's wrong? Why aren't you at the competition?" The person grabbed her and she pulled away from the person.

"Just leave me alone! I don't need your sympathy!" Hinata yelled and then turned to face the person who was confronting her.

"Gomen…Hinata-chan." Sai said and turned his back to her.

"S-Sai-kun…" Hinata covered her mouth with her hand. "Gomenasai! I was just…I…"

"Hinata-chan…" Sai turned back to face her. "You know you can count on me whenever you're down…"

"I…Neji-niisan is…" Hinata was speechless. She just felt too confused and frustrated to be comforted by such a kind person.

"Neji-kun…" Sai muttered. "Whatever he said…forget it." Hinata was shocked. "He's too insensitive and doesn't know what a normal person feels like…that's why…you shouldn't be rivals with such a guy. I won't allow it."

"It…doesn't matter…he already implied that he was too good for me." Hinata said and looked down at her feet. Sai snapped.

"Nani?!" He grabbed her shoulders. "How can he fucking say that when you always work your ass off?! He's such an ass hole! Why can't he at least care for his own cousin?!" Sai yelled. He panted. Hinata was frightened but…was confused by his words. His panting lessened and then he calmed down. He let go of her shoulders and turned his back to face her again. "Gomen…Hinata-chan…that you had to see my ugly side."

"Sai-kun…" Hinata muttered. She clasped her hands together.

"Hinata-chan," Sai faced her again, "Neji-kun…go to him." Hinata blinked away her tears. "Yes…he might or might not know what he's saying but…you should go back." Sai sighed. "I hate seeing you this way…all upset because of him. He needs you anyway. Without a partner, he's useless." He weakly smiled.

"Hai…arigato, Sai-kun!" Hinata said with a shaky voice and hugged him. He hugged back.

"Now, now…make me proud!" Sai returned to his usual cheery self and Hinata ran off. "Hinata-chan…your suffering…your happiness…because of…him?" Sai looked at the sky.

What did he have to do for her?

oO0Oo

"Neji-senpai!" Sakura whispered from backstage.

"Nani, Haruno?" Neji turned around because he was still watching Team Lee play their song.

"You're on in like…less than two minutes!" Sakura scolded. "Where's my Hinata-chan?!"

"…somewhere around school…possibly home by now…" Neji looked up at the ceiling.

"And you're calm about this?!" Sakura whispered angrily. "Ugh…!" She sighed with frustration. "You better fix this. We are NOT about to make the Musical Club look bad!"

"It's my not damn fault, now is it?!" Neji lost his temper.

"Technically, it is! She's your cousin! Gosh…you can't even keep track of the people precious to you…what would your family say?" Sakura crossed her arms and glared at him.

"They would say I'm a horrible person and that I need to be punished…severely." Neji added coldly.

"Ah…" Sakura felt guilty. "I…didn't mean to say…"

"Shut up. I don't care what you think." Neji said darkly. "Just stay out of my way." Neji closed his eyes. _I don't want to disappoint Hinata-sama…_

"Neji-niisan!" Hinata called as she ran towards him.

"Hinata-chan?!" Sakura practically threw herself at Hinata. "We were worried about you!"

"Neji-niisan…" Hinata muttered with a worried expression on her face. Neji's expression went from a shocked one to his usual expressionless one.

"What?" He snapped.

"…I…I might be a burden," Hinata started. Neji twitched, "but please let me help you!" She bowed.

That was never permitted in the Hyuuga household.

Neji's head started throbbing and his hands grabbed his head. The memories were too hurtful.

"Stop…" Neji muttered. Hinata slowly stood up straight. "Just…do whatever…just…don't do that again." Neji said, slowly removing his hands from his head. Hinata worriedly nodded.

"Neji-niisan…I really admire you." Hinata said confidently. Neji had a tinge of blush across his face. "So please…let's try our best!" She smiled.

"I got to get on stage, guys. Good luck!" Sakura winked at Hinata and ran on the stage. "Well, wasn't that an awesome performance everyone?!" Everyone cheered while the fan girls demanded to see their precious Neji. "Alright, alright…now…you Neji fan girls ready to squeal?!" Sakura announced. The fan girls all screamed in response.

"…she's…an idiot." Neji sweat dropped. Hinata laughed nervously.

"Okay! Come on out! Neji and Hinata Hyuuga!" Sakura pointed to the two as they got on stage. All the fan girls squealed.

"We love you Neji-sama!"

"Neji-kun, look this way!"

"Please let me take a picture of you!"

"Let me bear your babies!"

Neji twitched at the last comment.

"Have anything to say before we start, you guys?" Sakura asked the two with her microphone. Hinata shook her head.

"Actually," Neji took the microphone from Sakura, "I do." The audience looked at each other with questioning looks to why Neji wanted to say something. "Hinata-sama…even if…we lose…or win, please remember…you tried your best." Neji gave her a reassuring smile and put his hand on her shoulder. _"You can't play with emotion…" _Neji remembered Sasuke's words and his grip on her shoulder tightened.

"What are you saying, nii-san?" Hinata smiled. "Of course we'll win! This is actually the first time I've seen you doubtful!" Hinata said. Neji removed his hand from his shoulder.

"You're so weird…Hinata…" Neji smiled warmly with an aura that he was really happy. Hinata blushed from embarrassment. This was the first time he had ever said her name without the suffix. She would have never imagined it to be so…magnificent.

"C'mon guys…let's start." Sakura rolled her eyes. Neji was embarrassed and gave the microphone back to Sakura.

Neji sat down on the left side of the bench while Hinata sat on the right side. Hinata took a deep breath. Neji was unfazed. This _was _the first time they'd actually play through the whole song. It didn't matter how many mistakes they made…they just had to play their heart out.

"_Emotion." _

_Damn you…Uchiha…_Neji thought to himself as Hinata started her part. _Why must you always aggravate me?! _Hinata hit her cue note and Neji started playing.

As some parts of the introduction went by, Neji glanced at Hinata. She was happy and smiling…no matter what the outcome was. This morning, Hinata really wanted to win. But for some reason, she didn't care about that anymore. She seemed as if all she wanted was to play with him.

_No. _Neji thought to himself. _You're wrong, Uchiha. There's also one thing you don't know…_Neji started to play more with ease and passion than before. Hinata snapped out of her thoughts and turned her attention to Neji's fingers. They were playing more gracefully than usual. She smiled. She continued to play her part.

_Because…I finally know why I don't play with emotion. _Neji thought to himself. _It's because…it's…always against Hinata-sama…never WITH her. _

"_Neji-niisan," Hinata pointed at him, "I…I won't hesitate to defeat you!" _

"_Do you look down on me?" Hinata shakily said. _

"_Why are you always…alone?" Hinata worriedly asked her hands clasped together._

_Hinata-sama…_Neji played with more passion than he played ever before. And before you knew it, they ended the song in soft chords.

There was a sudden burst of clapping as the audience also cheered. Neji and Hinata stood up. Hinata smiled and bowed several times. Neji stood as a statue. He looked down at his hands.

_Did these hands…-_

"Neji-niisan," Hinata snapped him out of his thoughts, "wasn't that fun?" She smiled. Neji looked surprised and then warmly smiled back.

"Yeah…" He said. Sakura ran on stage again and laughed.

"I think we know who the winners are!" Sakura announced. The cheers only got louder.

oO0Oo

Hinata sighed as she walked down the halls. It was just a few days after the competition that she and Neji had won and she was still tired. She yawned.

"Hey Hinata-chan," Ino threw her arm around Hinata's shoulder, "so what's today's schedule?" Hinata shrugged her shoulders.

"Neji-niisan said that there was something important that he had to tell me…" Hinata said. Ino had a sly smirk on her face.

"Finally, eh?" Ino said, removing her arm from Hinata's shoulder. Hinata blinked.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Hinata asked.

"Oh nothing…nothing." Ino said innocently. She and Hinata entered into the club room and found the other Hyuuga in there…reading his book again.

"Ah Hinata-sama," Neji stood up.

"Neji-niisan…d-do you need me for something?" Hinata asked.

"Yes…actually, Yamanaka…it would be best if you would leave." Neji said seriously. "I don't want anybody to find out about this…" Ino smirked her widest smirk.

"Alright…take your time…" Ino said slyly and slammed the door shut.

"What's up with her?" Neji asked. Hinata laughed nervously. "So anyways…about that thing…" Hinata suddenly felt nervous.

_Why is nii-san so nervous? Is he…alright? _Her heart pounded against her chest.

"Ah…this is hard to say…" Neji said as he ran a hand through his long brown hair.

"Neji-niisan…" Hinata said, clasping her hands together. "What's…troubling you…?"

"You promise not to freak out?" Neji blurted out. Hinata blushed. She nodded.

_Just spit it out already! _Hinata thought anxiously.

"It's…" He gulped. "…your father…" Hinata's heart suddenly stopped.

"Eh?" Hinata said quietly.

"Okay…don't freak out!" Neji said worriedly. "Um…the Uchiha family…they…invited us to go to this party…" Hinata sighed of relief.

"Haha…is that it? Gosh…I really thought it was something serious." Hinata laughed.

"It is." Neji said, returning to his serious self. "The Uchiha family invited us, so we can meet with your father again…so he can…take us in again." Hinata twitched.

"Iie…I…I can't do that." Hinata said shakily.

"Hold on a second…" Neji said defensively, "I know we both dislike your father but…hold on…look." Neji took out a letter and gave it to Hinata. Hinata looked at Neji and then looked at the letter.

"What…" Hinata trailed off.

"It's a letter from your father…it's directed…to both of us…personally." Neji said. Hinata hesitantly took the letter. Her hands were trembling and she opened the letter. Her eyes widened.

_Dear Neji and Hinata,_

_Are you two doing well? I hope so. The two geniuses in the family…who would have thought that you two would just…break away from one of the most prestigious families? This was…shocking to me. I couldn't believe my ears or my eyes. Seeing you two leave made me feel very…guilty. You are attending the school that the Uchiha boy attends, yes? Well…I'm very proud of you two for passing the exams instead of paying tuition. This letter is not only to show my gratitude but to also invite you to the upcoming party. I would like to meet you two again. The Uchiha family also agrees that we must be united again. _

Hinata dropped the letter. It lightly floated to the ground.

"I was thinking…we shouldn't go." Neji said flatly. "This sounds like a trap. I've never heard Hiashi-sama sound so…grateful for our birth." Neji said rudely.

"Let's go." Hinata mumbled.

"Eh?! Are you crazy, Hinata-sama?! Think of all the times that he hurt us…no…hurt you!" Neji grabbed her shoulders and shook her. He removed the bangs that were covering her eyes. She was slightly crying.

"I have to…end this…" Hinata said. "If you were my rival, you would…you would agree with me."

"Hinata-sama…" Neji gently let go of her shoulders, "I don't…I don't want to hurt you." Hinata shook away the tears.

"The only one who's been hurting me is…Otou-san." Hinata gently said. "Will you…will you go to the party with me...? As my…date?" Neji's eyes widened. She took his hand and held it, the tears still glimmering in her eyes. "After this…everything will be the same. We'll still be rivals." Hinata said reassuringly.

"Fine." Neji said. "I'll do whatever you want…Hinata-sama."

oO0Oo

"Really?" Itachi asked, taking a bite out of his apple.

"Yeah…" Sasuke replied.

"Interesting…that's why the name "Hyuuga" was so familiar." Itachi said. Sasuke scoffed.

"You probably knew from the beginning all about what happened to Hinata and Neji Hyuuga since you're going to succeed the Uchiha Company." Sasuke said coldly.

"Ah…" Itachi responded. "Are you worried about those two? You always did when we were kids…"

"Tch. So you do remember. I guess you're not an idiot after all." Sasuke crossed his arms. Itachi took another bite out of his apple. They were standing outside at the Uchiha gates. Sasuke had just come home and happened to see Itachi outside.

"I wonder what will happen at the party…" Itachi mumbled to himself.

"Hn." Sasuke responded and walked past his brother into his house.

Personally, Sasuke did not think the idea of reuniting the two Hyuuga geniuses with Hinata's father was a good idea. It would be best if they just continued their peaceful lives.

"Welcome home, Sasuke-sama." A maid bowed. He walked past her up to his room. He was thinking too much.

The Hyuuga family was a strict family, after all. A stricter family than the Uchiha family indeed. Sasuke remembered that Hinata and Neji always had to go through tests and obstacles to please Hiashi. It actually sickened Sasuke.

He walked into his room and dropped his bag by the door. Sasuke lay down on his bed while his arms were crossed under his head.

Sasuke sighed. The two Hyuuga prodigies also won their challenge just a few days ago. (Damn, Sasuke lost the bet against Naruto.) He would have never thought Neji would have pulled it off though. He rolled on his side.

_Maybe it would be…best if Hinata came as my date. Hm…_Sasuke's finger was tapping on his bed. _It would be best to keep the two apart…especially with Hiashi there…_

oO0Oo

"Eh? A party?" Ino asked.

"SHHH!" Hinata said, covering Ino's mouth.

"Ugh," Ino removed Hinata's hand from her mouth, "yeah, so?"

"My…Otou-san's going to be there." Hinata looked down, her bangs covering her expression.

"No way!" Ino exclaimed.

"SHH!" Hinata scolded. Ino sweat dropped.

"Gomen…" Ino said. Ino came over to Hinata's apartment to help her cook dinner. Neji decided to actually help out with the paperwork that Sai never _did _finish. "So you're going?" Ino said, setting two plates down on the table. Hinata nodded.

"I have to…" Hinata said. Ino sighed.

"You know? You're one of the bravest girls I have ever seen." Ino smiled. Hinata weakly smiled back.

"Onegai, don't tell Sakura-san…" Hinata said.

"No worries!" Ino pounded her chest with her fist. "You can trust me!"

oO0Oo

"Hey Hyuuga…" Sasuke caught Neji's attention. They were both sitting at a table, filling out paperwork. Sai had some "business" (painting/drawing) out in the school yard.

"Nani?" Neji snapped.

"You wouldn't mind if I took Hinata as my date…would you?" Sasuke asked, not even looking up. Neji swiftly turned his head to Sasuke and glared at him.

"…why?" Neji asked cautiously.

"Just wondering…" Sasuke said.

"_Will you…will you go to the party with me...? As my…date?"_

_Her eyes were so…filled with hurt._ Neji thought to himself. He tightly gripped the pen.

"Hiashi…I mean…Hyuuga-sama's going to be there, right?" Sasuke said, trying to ease up the tension. Neji didn't reply.

"What are you getting at, Uchiha?" Neji snapped. Sasuke finally looked up from his paper work.

"I don't want you to hurt Hinata. You remember what happened when we were kids, don't you? Then…do us all a favor…no…do Hinata a favor." Sasuke stood up. "Do not, by all means, associate with her anymore."

**To be continued…**

**Mshinata: **Awww, Sasuke you meanie.

**Sasuke: **Hey! You're the writer.

**Mshinata: **True, but you do the actions. Actions speak louder than words.

**Neji: **Owned.

**Sasuke: **Why must you outsmart me?

**Mshinata: **I don't know…BUT ANYWAYS….I told you guys that I had a writing competition, ne? (Sasuke: -cough- no.) Well…I thought I did. Anyways, I went to state just recently. I don't know how I did. So…hopefully I did well. –Prays-

**Sai: **If you were chosen to go to state, doesn't that already mean you're a talented writer? (My parents said this…Lol.)

**Mshinata: **-sparkly eyes- I LOVE YOU SAI! xD –hugs Sai-

**Sasuke: **Sai, you whore.

**Sai: **Sasuke, you man whore.

**Sasuke: **Touché…

**Neji: **Give the writer lovely reviews. She had the decency to update.

**Mshinata: **SHUT UP NEJI! –Sad-


	5. Weak or Strong?

**Mshinata: **Hehe, I know my fan fic has some similarities to _La Corda D'oro. _I didn't even KNOW about the Anime until **Marshie-chan **told me about it. xD I really like it so far since I play the piano –sparkly eyes-. AGHHH, _Code Geass R2's _latest episode (episode 5) really made me cry at the end. Suzaku…I just…ugh…I'm on Lelouch's side.

**Sasuke: **Why?

**Mshinata: **BECAUSE, you're English voice actor plays Suzaku!

**Sasuke: **Is that why you hate him so much?

**Mshinata: **No…but…I don't hate him. He just…aggravates me. I hate it how his ambitions in the second season are so…I don't know…FORWARD. He acts too serious in the second season. I hate it.

**Sasuke: **Ah well…sounds like me. –Shrugs-

**Mshinata: **Hm…it does, doesn't it? Anyways, I don't think I can write more than eight pages anymore! Hehe…-sweat drops- I could when I had time, but I can't now. Probably when summer break starts, I can start writing up to thirteen pages per chapter again.

**Sasuke: Mshinata **doesn't own Naruto. By the way, "kouhai" is the opposite of senpai. It means "underclassman."

"What…what are you saying, Uchiha?" Neji stood up with him.

"You heard me. Don't associate with her, anymore." Sasuke said coldly again.

"Who are you to tell me what to do?" Neji snapped.

"Hn." Sasuke's lips curled into a smirk, "so you _do _want her to get hurt. I see how it is."

"Nani? I don't even understand what you're saying!" Neji shouted.

"Hey you two, you can take-" Sai walked in as he sighed.

"I'm taking her as my date and that's final." Neji said coldly. "You got that…Uchiha?" Neji glared at Sasuke.

"My, my…fighting over girls, aren't we?" Sai ran his hand through his hair and smirked. Neji was too irritated to be embarrassed and Sasuke…well…was emotionless as ever.

"Tch. One way or another…I'll make you two separate. You do not understand the situation at all." Sasuke said.

"You act as if I'm your kouhai." Neji replied, annoyed. The two continued to argue as if Sai wasn't even there. Sai sweat dropped.

"You may be number one, but you're still second to me." Sasuke smirked and shoved his hands into his pockets. He walked out of the door and slammed the door shut.

"Mind telling me what happened?" Sai asked after Sasuke left.

"Gomen President, but it's a secretive matter which I do not want to talk about." Neji said, closing his eyes. Sai stayed silent and had a serious expression on his face.

"Well then," Sai said, "you may leave if you wish."

"Arigato, President." Neji bowed.

"Ne Neji-kun," Sai called out to him before he left the room.

"Nani?" Neji said, not even turning around.

"You should be formal with me more often." Sai gave his infamous smile to Neji's back.

"Shut up, Sai." Neji said, irritated as he also slammed the door shut.

* * *

"Welcome home, Neji-niisan." Hinata smiled, wearing an apron as Neji entered their apartment.

"Hinata-sama." Neji greeted back.

"I'm starting on dinner, so you can do your homework or whatever." Hinata said. Even though they were rivals, they pretty much acted normal at home.

"Hai." Neji said, heading towards his room. "Hinata-sama."

"Hai?" Hinata turned back to him.

"Sasuke…he's...what is he to you?" Neji chose his words cautiously.

"Hm…" Hinata said thoughtfully, "Sasuke-kun is a very caring friend who's always unpredictable. I mean…he's so…strange." Hinata chuckled.

"I see…" Neji replied, entering his room.

"_Hn." Sasuke's lips curled into a smirk, "so you do want her to get hurt. I see how it is."_

That rang in Neji's head so much that his head was throbbing. He groaned and threw his bag carelessly on the ground. He dropped on his bed with his hands crossed under his head. He closed his eyes in frustration.

Hinata's father was going to be there. All those years of abuse…

He rolled on his side. He hated this so very much. It pissed him off that he had to see him again. Neji was so frustrated that he even thought it was shameful to have looked up to him.

After all…he and Hinata were the geniuses of the Hyuuga family. He sighed.

He really hated himself for being a genius…

* * *

"Ah Hinata-chan…you sure you can go through this?" Ino said, swinging her legs back and forth as she watched Hinata change into her dress. She was sitting on Hinata's bed.

"Hai. The sooner I get this over with the better." Hinata slipped on her dress. It was just a simple black dress with no sleeves with a white ribbon tied around her waist. The dress went down to her knees. It was really plain…nothing special.

"You know…we could have gone shopping together." Ino sighed.

"I'm not going to waste my money on something I might regret doing." Hinata said with a faint smile as she straightened her dress, looking in the mirror on her closet door.

"Ehh, guess you're right, ne?" Ino jumped up. "You know what you need? Earrings, bracelets, rings-"

"Iie." Hinata flatly said.

"Eh?! Why not? The lady's got to look pretty for Neji-senpai." Ino nudged Hinata. She had a slight tinge of blush on her face.

"Nani?!" Hinata scolded her.

"Ready, Hinata-sama?" Neji entered her room. She turned around. "Hina…Hinata-sama." Neji looked the other way. He was stunned by the beautiful…but plain black dress. "You look…pretty." He stumbled on the last word, because he couldn't seem to get "beautiful" out of his mouth. She blushed from embarrassment.

"Arigato. You look…pretty good." Hinata chuckled. Neji was also wearing a plain black tuxedo with a black tie. His long dark brown hair complimented his handsome features.

"That's all I get? Hn." Neji smirked. "And when I complimented you when we're rivals."

All Hinata did was smile in response.

"You two have fun, now." Ino winked as she was about to leave. "Oh Hinata," Ino gently grabbed her arm and whispered in her ear, "It'll be okay…stay calm." She smiled and left their apartment.

"Yamanaka's right." Neji said suddenly. Hinata squeaked.

"You…you heard that?!" Hinata asked, surprised.

"Like Uchiha, I have pretty good ears." Neji said calmly. "C'mon…let's go."

* * *

Sasuke kept checking his watch over and over again. _Where the hell are those two?! _He thought angrily.

"Not to worry." Itachi said, reading his brother's thoughts. He rested his arm on Sasuke's shoulder. "Knowing Neji-kun, they'll be here on time. Besides…we came here _extra_ early." Sasuke scowled at Itachi. "You're just impatient. Try to learn how to be patient…will you?"

"Look at the guy who's failing college." Sasuke replied, taking his brother's arm off of him.

"Hn." Itachi replied. "Look…your logic of Hinata-chan getting hurt by being with Neji-kun is…well…weird. I don't get it at all."

"Of course, you wouldn't." Sasuke said.

"Hn. Amuse me." Itachi smirked, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Their parents were talking with the hosts of this party, so they had some time to kill.

"Neji…he's a lesser Hyuuga, isn't he? His punishments are way worse than of Hinata, a main branch family member." Sasuke replied.

"Yes…but they're geniuses of the family. They at least have to go through the same obstacles." Itachi replied.

"Yes…the reason for which…is why Neji and Hinata left the family." Sasuke said seriously. Itachi chuckled. "What's so funny?"

"Do you remember the rumors that spread in the Uchiha estates?" Itachi said amusingly.

"Somewhat…although, I always ignored them since I knew they weren't true." Sasuke said.

"I heard a very interesting one that I'll never forget. The rumor said that it was Neji-kun's idea to leave the Hyuuga family. He dragged along Hinata-chan without her consent. He was too powerful and demanding, so she _had _to go with him. If the rumor's true, doesn't that mean the purpose for her coming here is to come back to the Hyuuga clan and leave Neji-kun?" Itachi said.

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard." Sasuke said. "Neji would never do that."

"…or would he?" A smirk crept on Itachi's face. "Think about it. Why are they rivals? Are they just rivals because Hinata-chan wants to become better at piano than him? Or is it because there's a deal that if she can defeat him, she can go back to her family?"

"You're confusing even me. Shut up." Sasuke said. "It's not true. The stupid maids at the Uchiha estate always make up nonsense. I don't believe it." Sasuke scoffed and started to walk away. "I'm going to wait outside to check for those two."

"Hn…" Itachi crossed his arms and smiled in amusement. "Then…I wonder how the Hyuuga geniuses will handle this one…"

* * *

It had been only fifteen minutes into the party and Hinata already was nervous. She took a deep breath, but it couldn't calm her nervous heart. She started to play with her fingers like she did when she was young. Neji stood by her side, looking serious and unfazed. He was calm. He looked over to Hinata.

"Calm down, Hinata-sama. I'm right here." Neji said coolly. Although, his voice had a caring sense to it. Hinata's nervousness lessened just a bit. She took another deep breath.

"Neji, Hinata." Sasuke walked towards them.

"A-ah…hello Sasuke-kun." Hinata bowed.

"Uchiha." Neji said in acknowledgement.

"Neji." Sasuke said back. Hinata stood up straight.

Everybody at the party was currently eating, talking with friends, or dancing. All of them seemed to make Neji scowl. He hated these sort of things.

"Hinata…want to dance?" Sasuke said, putting his hand out in front of her like a gentleman. Hinata blushed from embarrassment. Neji scowled.

"You know I've never been good at it…" Hinata replied, hoping Sasuke would buy it. He didn't.

"That's alright. I'll lead." He said as he held out his hand again. Hinata looked back at Neji. She was still worried but reluctantly took Sasuke's hand.

As another song came on, Sasuke put one hand down to her hip and the other holding up her hand. He led her like he said he was. It was quiet for a while until Sasuke sparked up a conversation.

"So…have you seen your father, yet?" Sasuke said quietly.

"Eh? So you know about this, too?" Hinata muttered back.

"Well…Uchiha family does include me, too." Sasuke said, still leading the dance. Hinata didn't speak for a while. "Doesn't…Neji bring you trouble?" Hinata's eyes widened.

"What…does that mean?" Hinata cautiously chose her words as she stumbled on her feet. Sasuke helped her regain her balance and continued to dance.

"You know…I kind of think…you guys being rivals…I mean…I don't want to see you getting hurt again." Sasuke said.

"I'm not a little girl anymore, Sasuke-kun." Hinata said firmly.

"I know that…but…Neji also backs you up. What happens if he's not there?" Sasuke asked in response.

"I…don't ask for his help nor do I rely on it." Hinata said strictly.

"Gomen…I said a lot of open things." Sasuke said after an awkward silence. The song stopped and Sasuke walked away. He didn't say anything after that. He left Hinata standing there…confused and…deep in thought.

* * *

"Ah Hiashi-sama," Itachi bowed, "it's very nice to see you again." He smiled politely.

"Yes well…I heard my daughter and Neji were here." He said in response, not even greeting Itachi back.

"Ah I see." Itachi kept fake smiling.

"Have you seen them anywhere?" Hiashi asked. Itachi shook his head no.

"But…I think my ototou is looking for them." Itachi said. ("Ototou" means brother. "Aniki" can also mean brother.)

"Very well then. It's been nice chatting with you, Itachi." Hiashi said as he walked away. Itachi kept on smiling until he was gone. Itachi cursed at Hiashi and continued to stand there.

* * *

"What's wrong, Hinata-sama?" Neji asked with his arms crossed as Hinata returned from dancing with Sasuke.

"Iie. It's nothing." Hinata snapped out of her thoughts. "U-um…"

"Hai, Hinata-sama?" Neji responded.

"Do you respect me…because I was supposed to be leader of the Hyuuga family?" Hinata bit her lip. Neji's eyes darkened.

"No. Why would you ask such a question?" Neji asked in disgust.

"U-um…" Hinata thought about Sasuke's words. He was exactly right, though...Neji had always been the person to back her up even though Hinata could take care of herself. "Call me Hinata."

"Eh?" Neji blinked.

"Call me Hinata." Hinata said again with a little annoyance in her voice. "And don't say you're not obliged to say my name without the suffix. We left the family _together. _Remember?" She slightly smiled.

"I can't do that." Neji said.

"Why not?" Hinata asked with some annoyance in her voice.

"…I feel like…I'm disrespecting you." Neji averted her gaze.

"Just…call me Hinata." She said, commanding him. He sighed and took a deep breath.

"Hinata…" Neji said awkwardly.

"Yay!" Hinata said with glee.

"Neji…does this mean you're fond of my daughter?" A familiar deep voice that had always frightened Hinata said from behind them.

"Hi-Hiashi-sama…" Neji stuttered.

"Otou-san…" Hinata said, secretly clenching her fists. "What…do you mean?"

"People who call other people by their first names without any suffixes are fond of each other. So, answer my question, Neji. Are you fond of my daughter?" Hiashi raised his brow.

"That is…" Neji started.

"You have no right to say that, Otou-san." Hinata defended. Hiashi turned his gaze to his daughter.

"You've changed…since then." Hiashi said. Hinata twitched. "You must have an idea why I'm here."

"Hai." Neji answered obediently.

"Then…let's start packing tonight and you'll move out tomorrow." Hiashi said seriously. Hinata's eyes widened. Neji didn't answer.

"O-Otou-san…" Hinata stuttered.

"It would be best. The family has missed their prodigies." Hiashi said. Hinata twitched.

"You're only going to use us as tools again…" Hinata said, her hands trembling.

"Isn't that what geniuses are for?" Hiashi raised a brow.

"You're…you're wrong!" Hinata exclaimed. All the guests of the party turned to the little argument with the Hyuuga. Neji was shocked and looked at Hinata. "You don't use people like that…it's…it's wrong!"

"Oh? Then why did you follow all of my orders when you were young?" Hiashi asked.

"I was…selfish. I wanted to defeat Neji-niisan in that way." Hinata answered quietly. "But I know now…there are other ways. I don't need you, Otou-san." Neji slightly smiled.

"Hn. And when you come crawling back to the Hyuuga clan…you'll be sorry." Hiashi said.

"I have no regrets either, Hiashi-sama." Neji said, butting in.

"You're just a lesser Hyuuga. Why should you be talking?" Hiashi said coldly.

"Because…lesser Hyuuga or not, we're all the same! That's why…we're rivals, ne? Because if we were different, we wouldn't be." Hinata said.

"Standing up for a lesser Hyuuga…that's a disgrace." Hiashi said, crossing his arms. "But I'm impressed. You've become more confident."

"I don't…need your flattery." Hinata said. "Onegai…Neji-niisan…let's go." Hinata said, her bangs covering her facial expression.

"Excuse us, Hiashi-sama." Neji said as he dragged Hinata away.

* * *

"You did the right thing, Hinata-sama." Neji said as he sat down on the edge of her bed. Hinata was lying on her bed with the covers over her except for her head.

"I know…" Hinata muttered.

"Arigato." Neji suddenly said.

"Eh? W-why…?" Hinata asked.

"You stood up for me even if…we're rivals." Neji muttered the last part.

"I wouldn't let Otou-san say that about you." Hinata said worriedly. "But I was serious," Neji gave her a confused look, "please call me Hinata from now on."

"Nani?" Neji sighed. "Fine…Hi-Hinata."

"And I'll call you Neji." Hinata smiled. "That way, it won't be so weird between us."

"…I see." Neji said as he stood up. "Well…good night…Hinata."

"Good night." Hinata said as Neji left her room. He closed her door and stood in front of it.

"Weird between us, eh?" Neji muttered to himself.

* * *

"HINATA-CHAN!!" Sakura ran in crying and surprisingly hugging Hinata. "Neji-teme didn't do anything, ne?!"

"Ohayo S-Sakura-san…u-um…no." Hinata said as Sakura let go of her. "It was…interesting." Hinata inwardly smiled. All the members of the Musical Club were gathered in the club room.

"I see, I see." Sakura smiled.

"Hinata-sa…Hinata." Neji said, suddenly appearing behind her. "You're okay, right?"

"Hai." Hinata said.

"So anyways…" Sakura said after everyone took a seat and she laid out all the pastries and tea. "We should all go to Europe for the summer! It'll be fun." Sakura said with sparkly eyes. "The guys can carry everything."

"Hey! That's not fair!" Naruto whined.

"Maybe…we should go camping like when we were little." Hinata suggested, sipping her tea.

"A place where everyone can have fun…hm…how about the beach?" Sai suggested.

"Ugh, this is hard deciding." Ino said, crossing her legs.

"Let's go somewhere dangerous and have fun!" Naruto exclaimed. Sakura grabbed a pitcher of hot tea and poured it over his head.

"Iie." Sakura said dangerously.

"Hai S-Sakura-chan…" Naruto said, shrinking in his seat. He was trying to resist the urge to scream from the hot tea. "But…you didn't have to pour hot tea all over me!" Naruto complained.

"You won't die like that. I have other plans." Sakura said, smiling innocently. Hinata sweat dropped.

"A contest." Neji said plainly.

"Eh?" Everyone except Sasuke said.

"A contest to see which idea is the best." Neji said. Hinata blinked.

"…it's obvious you're going to win, Neji-senpai." Sakura said, temper rising.

"It doesn't matter where we're going. Even if I win, I'll give the approval of the one who gets in second." Neji said.

"I agree as well." Hinata said.

_They're so overconfident! _Sakura, Ino, Sai, and Naruto thought.

"Ehe…Neji-senpai…so full of yourself. I WILL WIN!" Sakura said confidently, pointing at Neji.

"This is oddly familiar…except…my opponent is not saying anything." Neji sweat dropped.

"Eh?" Hinata blinked.

"I know…we'll race around the whole entire school." Sakura said.

"Eh?! But the…the school's huge!" Sai said.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious." Ino said to Sai.

"We'll be starting from this club room. Whoever wins, wins!" Sakura announced.

"You know…it's obvious that Neji and Hinata are going to win." Sasuke sweat dropped, finally speaking.

"Ehe…Sasuke-kun. Whoever said we were playing fairly?" Sakura said with beaming eyes.

**To be continued…**

**Mshinata: **Ah gomen, gomen. I haven't updated in a long time.

**Sasuke: **Oh gosh…and she's going to say she's too busy watching Anime.

**Mshinata: **I finally finished _La Corda D'oro! _Yay! I hope there's a second season. –Smiles-

**Sasuke: **I swear…when they banned Anime forever, I wonder what you will do?

**Mshinata: **But if they banned Anime, there will be no more fan ficcing.

**Sasuke: **Damn it. I forgot. –Slaps his forehead-

**Mshinata: **Gotcha there. –Smiles- Please give me awesome reviews. Hehe.


	6. Can You Do It, Naruto?

**Sasuke: **Today, I'll be hosting this…ahem… "party."

**Ino: **-blinks- Why?

**Sasuke: Mshinata **is crying in her little corner.

**Mshinata: **I AM NOT! –Sniff-

**Sasuke: **You're sniffing. Yeah…she just got banned from YouTube. So…just add her new YouTube name, **mshinatahyuuga. **She doesn't own Naruto. If she did, none of this would have happened.

"So…I'm riding a bike?" Ino asked as she readied herself on the bike.

"Guess so." Sai said.

"What about you?" Ino asked.

"I have nothing." Sai sighed dramatically as he ran a hand through his hair, sparkles dazzling around his face. "I'll have to run."

"I s-see…" Ino replied, sweat dropping. Sai made it seem so dramatic.

"I get rollerblades!" Sakura exclaimed.

"This is like a backpack full of weights…!" Naruto said, adjusting the bag that he was wearing.

"Because it IS a backpack full of weights, baka." Sasuke said, also adjusting his bag full of weights.

"I'm…wearing normal weights on my legs and hands." Hinata said as she lifted her hands.

"Are you copying Lee or something?" Sai asked nervously.

"S-Sakura-san made me…" Hinata sweat dropped. "But…Neji is…" They all looked over to Neji who was conveniently tied up against a tree.

"…Sakura…" Neji said darkly.

"This is fair!" Sakura said happily.

"How the hell is this fair when I'm tied up against a tree?!" Neji shouted angrily, trying to free himself from the tree's evil clutches.

"Sai-kun, Ino, and I are the first starting to race. Then it's Sasuke-kun and Naruto at thirty seconds. Next, it's Hinata-chan at a minute. And then finally, it's the loser…Neji-senpai at two minutes." Sakura said evilly.

"Okay…LET'S GO!!" Sakura said as she started rollerblading while Sai started running and Ino started riding her bike.

"Ino," Sai said after a while of running.

"Nani, Sai-kun?" Ino replied. Sai sighed. (Lol. That sounds…weird.)

"This is useless. You know we're not going to win. Let's just quit." Sai said.

"Eh?! But…" Ino trailed off.

"Think about it." Sai said as he slowed down. Ino stopped her bike.

"Eh…you're right!" Ino smiled. "Let's ditch!"

Naruto started panting as he was carrying the backpack full of weights. Sasuke just continued to run.

"These weights are pissing me off." Sasuke said, irritated.

"Me too, teme." Naruto panted as he slowed down.

"Wait who's…" Sasuke looked over where he found the backsides of Sai and Ino sitting up against a tree.

"SAI-TEME! INO!" Naruto cried dramatically, running to their side. "I…I couldn't do anything! I'M SORRY! JUST PLEASE DON'T HAUNT ME, SAI'S GHOST AND INO'S GHOST!" Naruto said dramatically as he pounded the ground with his fists, tears flowing out of his eyes. Sasuke walked towards the three and sweat dropped.

"Baka, they're asleep." Sasuke said as he put a hand on Sai's chest.

"WHAT?! THEY'RE UNCONSCIOUS?!" Naruto cried, more tears flowing out of his eyes. Sasuke's mouth slightly parted but he decided not to speak as he removed his hand from his chest. Naruto couldn't get it through his thick head. "SAI! SAI!" Naruto held Sai in his arms. "SPEAK TO ME!"

"Na…Naruto…kun…" Sai said weakly, his hand holding Naruto's.

"Y-yes…President?" Naruto said, tears shimmering in his eyes.

_I feel like this is a gay moment…_Sasuke thought to himself and sweat dropped.

"I…I…was tired." Sai said, returning to his cheerful self. Naruto had a few angry marks on his forehead and quickly stood up.

"YOU…YOU TRICKED ME!" Naruto pointed in accusation to Sasuke.

"Nani? What did I do?" Sasuke asked, covering his ears.

"YOU SAID THEY WERE UNCONSCIOUS!" Naruto said, still yelling.

"I…said they were asleep…don't make me blow up your ear drums." Sasuke said threateningly, also standing up.

"You guys are so nosy!" Ino said as she rubbed her eyes and stood up. "But Sasuke-kun's right. We were sleeping. Sai-kun was just messing with you." Ino sweat dropped and sighed.

There was an awkward moment of silence as Naruto realized that there was a race going on and he ran back to the race track. Sasuke stood there, totally wowed by the fact that Sai and Ino were as stupid as to fall asleep in a middle of a challenge. Sakura was rollerblading right behind Naruto. Hinata ran with her weights and tried to catch up with Sakura and Naruto.

* * *

"_Um…Neji?" Hinata sweat dropped. "Are you sure you don't need my…help?" She gulped. "It's actually scaring me that you're tied up to a tree…" Neji didn't respond. "Oh! I can loosen the ropes."_

"_Forget it. I can do it on my own." Neji replied, obviously irritated._

"_Haha…" Hinata laughed nervously, "so…so c-confident?" _

"_Actually…yes." Neji smirked._

Hinata sighed. She hoped Neji would be okay. She had no ambition for winning anyways, right? So…if she gave up…

No. She couldn't!

It would be like backing down from a challenge from Neji. She sighed once more as she slowed down. She didn't know what to think anymore.

* * *

"Sakura might have beastly strength…" Neji muttered under his breath as he loosened the ties in the back with his hands, "but she CANNOT tie ropes." He smirked as the ropes fell slowly to the ground. "Time to catch up with the competition." He said as he dashed onto the race track.

* * *

"N-Naruto-kun!" Hinata called from behind him.

"G-grr…" Naruto's teeth clenched. She already caught up with him?! "Hinata-chan!" Not to mention…she still ran with such a powerful speed even with the weights. "I am…also a genius…of some sort. I can't lose to her." He muttered.

"Nani?" Hinata called out again, blinking.

"NA-RU-TO!!" Sakura said angrily as she came down from a tree and kicked him in the face with her rollerblades.

"Na…NARUTO-KUN!" Hinata's jaw dropped to the ground.

"Hinata-chan will win!" Sakura glared at Naruto as he stayed unconscious. Sakura and Hinata continued running when suddenly they heard something above them.

"I-impossible…" Sakura muttered, looking at Neji who jumped down from a tree. He had an evil look in his eyes and a menacing scowl. Sakura and Hinata started to run faster.

Sakura stopped to catch her breath while Hinata tried to run her fastest. Neji ran faster than her and dashed past her.

_W-why…why are you so much stronger than me, Neji? _Hinata thought to herself. She slowed down and entered the club room again. She saw Neji already sitting on the sofa with his arms crossed.

"Guess I win again, Hinata." Neji smirked. She got an angry mark on her forehead.

* * *

So in the end, Neji agreed to whatever Hinata agreed and she agreed to whoever came in third.

"I want to stay at home!" Sai announced as he gathered everyone into the club room. The competition was over so…no hard feelings, ne? Surprisingly, Sai came in third. Everyone's expression darkened.

"NANI?!" Sakura grabbed Sai's shoulders and hardly pinned him to the ground. "YOU'D RATHER STAY HERE THAN GO TO EUROPE WHERE I CAN DRESS UP MY HINATA-CHAN?!" She went berserk while he was struggling under her grip.

Hinata nervously smiled while Neji didn't care. Ino didn't really care either but giggled from the little brawl instead. Naruto was immensely depressed, wanting to go somewhere else.

* * *

"Eh? I can't believe it's the new semester. That went by fast. Don't you think, Hinata-chan?" Ino asked as she admiringly caressed her violin.

"Hai. Actually…it seemed to go too fast…" Hinata said, ghosting her fingers over the keys of the piano with warm eyes.

"Tch. I just wish that Naruto and Sai-kun would stop acting like idiots…and act more mature like Sasuke-kun." Sakura's eyes sparkled as she rubbed her cheek against her flute.

A knock interrupted the girls' conversation. Ino and Sakura blinked as Hinata went to go get the door.

"Hai?" Hinata answered, opening the door.

A first year with short brown hair with a few bangs covering his eyes looked at Hinata with surprise and quickly averted her gaze. His nature seemed shy and gentle. That was rare to see in a guy nowadays…well…for Hinata. She always had to be around with cold, stupid, and arrogant guys…not that she thought any of the guys were any of those. (Haha. xD) His hands were trembling with a pretty bag. His bangs covered his facial expression, hard to decipher what he wanted.

"H-Hyuuga-senpai…here." He was about to give it to Hinata when a person suddenly came in between them and he snatched the bag away. His menacing eyes gave the "Go-away-or-I'll-kill-you" expression.

"Neji-niisan! How rude." Hinata defensively said.

"This is for Hinata-sama?" Neji smiled innocently.

"H-hai." The boy cowered in fear. It was always bad when Hyuuga Neji smiled…

"I guess…you're added on as my rival." Neji said bluntly.

"Neji-niisan!" Hinata scolded, "You don't go around scaring kouhai like that!" She said. (Kouhai means underclassman.) She switched her attention to the frightened first year. "I hope Neji-niisan won't cause you any trouble anymore." She noticed that he started to tremble even more and quickly ran off before she could say anything else. "I…wonder what he wanted."

"Something stupid." Neji replied, looking the other way.

"Hey you guys!" Sakura called out after she and Ino put away their instruments. "Let's have some tea, ne?"

* * *

Sakura sighed in pleasure.

"I'm so happy to have all new furniture for the club room!" She exclaimed with ecstasy. "Arigato, Naruto." She sweetly sang.

"…I'm guessing she forced you to rearrange things." Sasuke sweat dropped, facing Naruto. Naruto sweat dropped and nodded.

"Let's celebrate!" Sakura said.

"U-um…shouldn't we go to the ceremony?" Hinata pointed out.

"Who cares?!" Sakura said, flipping her hair. "Drinking tea is more important."

"Iie…I have to go to represent all the top students." Hinata said. "Gomen!" She started to leave the clubroom when Naruto chased after her.

"Naruto?" Sakura blinked.

When Hinata reached outside of the clubroom, Naruto called out to her.

"Hinata-chan!" He said, running after her. She stopped as he slowed down.

"What's wrong, Naruto-kun?" She asked.

"Can I…tell you something?" Naruto asked desperately.

"Go ahead." She said with an innocent smile. His mouth parted open but then he saw Neji a few feet behind Hinata. Naruto's face darkened.

"It's…it's not important." He said, sweat dropping.

* * *

"In the end…Neji-niisan stopped me from participating in the ceremony…" Hinata sighed as she walked down the halls.

"Hyuuga-san." A guy about Neji's grade stopped in front of her. He had thin-framed glasses with long gray hair tied back in a low pony tail. The glare from the glasses made it so that you couldn't see his eyes.

"Hai? Do you need something, senpai?" Hinata asked.

"You shouldn't be playing in the halls when you have class to attend to." He said. "But then again…you don't have to participate in class." She twitched. Was he mocking her? "I wonder how you guys maintain such a high grade point average…is it because you play instruments? They always say people are smarter when they play instruments…" He observed.

"Who…who are you?" She managed to ask, gulping.

"Kabuto. That's all you need to know." Kabuto replied with a scary smirk that would make even Neji shiver.

"Ah! Are you the Kabuto that is only second to Naruto-kun?" She pointed at him.

"Shut up! Don't compare me to that imbecile!" He shouted back.

"…I was just saying…he is one more ranking than you." She said. He cleared his throat and pushed his glasses up on his nose.

"Is it because Naruto is your friend? Is that why you guys are always on the top rankings?" He asked with his arms crossed.

"Onegai…don't say such nonsense." She replied firmly.

"Would you like to prove it?" He asked, his smirk widening.

"Hai." She smiled back.

* * *

Sasuke sweat dropped and sighed.

"Stop staring at me, Hinata." He said, turning to her.

"E-eh?!" She realized she was staring and quickly averted his gaze. She blushed from embarrassment. "It's…it's nothing." She said, a bit panicked.

"Ah…Hinata-chan." Naruto made a curt wave as he entered the clubroom. He quickly scanned the room…as if looking for something. "No one's her except Sasuke, Sai, and Ino…" He muttered to himself.

"Do you need something, Naruto-kun?" Hinata blinked.

"Well, actually-" He heard the door slam close and turned to look behind him. He saw Neji carrying his bag over his shoulder, slowly walking to his direction. He sweat dropped. "Never mind!" He said, running off.

"What's wrong with him?" Hinata asked herself. Neji dropped down to a seat next to Hinata.

She inwardly sighed. She had to do something about the challenge from Kabuto. She needed Sasuke…if not then…

"Eh? Neji-niisan! Y-you…startled me." Hinata said after a few minutes that Neji had sat down next to her.

"Hn." He replied, sitting closer to her.

"You know…there are other chairs." She replied.

"But…Hinata-sama is occupying this one." He replied coolly, his face getting closer to Hinata's. Her sweat dropped and her face started to turn red.

"Y-you can sit next to Sasuke-kun." She pointed to Sasuke. Neji and Sasuke twitched. Neji then turned his face away from her. "U-um…what's wrong?" She asked him.

"Hn." He replied again.

* * *

Naruto was sitting under a tree, sleeping. His eyes were closed, the eye lashes adding on to his perfect handsome look. His head was a bit tilted back, making the tree a good thing to lean on. His bangs covered his face, making it seem like he was just looking up in the sky.

"Ah…so the mighty Naruto-kun is sleeping comfortably." Since Naruto was a light sleeper, he automatically awoke. He was faced with one of the most annoying guys in school. Kabuto. "Naruto-kun…you should be studying."

"Ah…thanks…but I don't need guys to worry about me." Naruto replied sleepily, returning to his comfortable place of sleep. Kabuto twitched.

* * *

"_The rules are simple, Hyuuga-san." Kabuto replied with a sly smirk. Her fists clenched and she was ready for action. "You see…I will give out a test."_

"_A test?" She asked in surprised._

"_Yes, a test. But of course…I will be making them. It'll be more fun that way." He replied. "If you are to get a B or higher, I will accept that you and your friends are worthy to be admirable."_

"_Eh? I thought you were going to make something…more challenging." She blinked._

"_Ah but…Naruto-kun is the only one taking it." He continued._

"_Nani?! Naruto-kun?" She asked. "Then why did you have to inform me about it?"_

"_He is the lowest of the top ranking students that can skip classes. Of course…it'd be easier if you told him." Kabuto smiled sincerely. She twitched._

Hinata sighed as she sat at her desk at home. She leaned on her palm and her arm was leaning on the table. She just didn't know what to do. Naruto wasn't the type of person to like competitions…he'd do anything to avoid them as much as possible. Or, he would just let the other members of the Musical Club handle all the work.

_What if he refuses? I can't let him do that! I already…accepted it. _She sighed once more. _I've been causing a lot of trouble for people lately…especially Neji-niisan. Speaking of Neji-niisan, what would he do? _

"_It's your problem." Neji replied coldly, dramatically turning and walking away from her._

Her sweat dropped. She just _knew _Neji would say something like that.

"So heartless." She huffed, crossing her arms.

"Are you talking about me, Hinata-sama?" Neji called out from his room. She was shocked that Neji could hear that well! Well…he did say that his hearing was good, so she guessed it was true.

_I need to get some sleep. It's best if I just think about it tomorrow. _Hinata stood up from her chair and turned off the lamp. "Maybe…I should talk to Kabuto-senpai again."

* * *

"Hinata-chan," Sakura called her attention as she poured tea into her tea cup, "the talent tests are coming up…you're acting…well…not excited."

"R-really?" Hinata stuttered back, nervously sipping her tea.

"Not to mention, Naruto is quieter than usual." Sakura put her index finger to her lips, looking at the anxious/nervous Naruto.

"If talent tests aren't getting Hinata-chan excited, I guess that means that she doesn't care for Neji-senpai anymore." Sakura nudged the male Hyuuga while he was sitting down, typing on his laptop. Neji glared at the pink-haired girl but she just giggled.

"You can't intimidate me!" Sakura said nervously and hid behind Sai.

_Really…I should confront Kabuto-senpai again. _Hinata thought to herself, brushing aside whatever was happening at moment. But…white-pearled eyes of a certain male were watching her every move.

* * *

"Nani? Come to surrender?" Kabuto said, smirking as the lights from the halls were glaring up his glasses.

"We need to talk." Hinata said confidently.

* * *

"Change the conditions?" Kabuto said in surprise.

"Hai. Even though Naruto-kun doesn't attend class, he doesn't cheat or bribe the principal to be in the top rankings." Hinata said defensively. "Also…I will be the blame…since I didn't consider Naruto-kun's feelings about wanting to be in the competition or not." She said, suddenly sad.

"Tch. How touching." Kabuto crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "I'm just testing the top ranking students. I don't expect you to do anything. You were the one to come to me for a challenge."

"But…it would be better if you talked to Naruto-kun about it. And besides, you were the one who confronted me!" Hinata said. A small smirk slowly appeared on his face.

"Everyone knows that Naruto-kun hates competitions. You are always the easiest to manipulate and you always accept the challenges." He answered obviously.

"Heh…how interesting." The male Hyuuga glared at Kabuto as he appeared from behind Hinata out of nowhere.

"N-Neji-niisan!" She turned around to face him.

"No worries…we accept." Neji replied with a confident smirk. "Of course…don't think that if you lose, you will get off easily. I don't like giving weaklings mercy." He said coldly with a dark aura around him that said "Don't-mess-with-me." Kabuto was intimidated and power-walked back into his classroom.

"Neji-niisan…" Hinata turned her attention to Neji. "Why did you follow me?"

"Hinata-sama…for you to put everything on your shoulders is…unacceptable." He said, looking at her with the sides of his eyes. She had an angry mark on her forehead.

"My question still stands. Why did you follow me?" She asked.

"You were acting strange." He crossed his arms. "You weren't even excited about defeating me this time."

"O-oh…" Her sweat dropped.

"But this time…" Neji took her hand and held it close to his lips, "may I challenge you?" She was a bit shocked. His warm breath tickled her skin with her blushing in response. "If I win, I get you for a whole day." He gently brushed his lips on her hand.

"U-um…" She quickly took a step back and pulled her hand away from him. She slowly started to run the other direction, blushing madly with her heart thumping against her chest.

* * *

"Eh…fine." Naruto said his hands crossed behind his head. Kabuto sweat dropped. Naruto obliged to the test without any complaints!

"H-here." Kabuto gave Naruto the test as he led him into an empty classroom.

"Thanks." Naruto smiled genuinely. Kabuto sweat dropped again. Naruto sat down in a desk and flipped through the test. He grunted in response. "You know…I thought you were better than this, Kabuto-senpai." Kabuto twitched. "Some of the questions are misspelled and misinformed…not to mention…guitars don't have keys, they have strings. Do you think I'm stupid or something?" Naruto glared hard at Kabuto. "Wow…this was a set up…ne?" His expression changed into a happy one, making him smile again. "And I was about to take this? Haha…oh well." He shrugged. Kabuto twitched but was amazed by Naruto's ability to figure things out. "So I guess…I win?"

* * *

The results of the talent test were in and Hinata was nervous. She took a deep breath. She just had to win! What Neji said earlier was just…weird! She glanced at the papers with her results and twitched after everyone in the Musical Club announcing their results.

And of course…Neji was first again.

"Hinata-sama," Neji called her attention. She twitched, "I win…again." He smiled at her. "About my prize-"

"NEJI-NIISAN!!" A brown long-haired girl with white-pearled eyes about in middle school slammed the doors open with glittering tears in her eyes.

"H-Hanabi?!" Hinata exclaimed in surprise.

"Eh?!" Everyone in the Musical Club except for Sasuke said in surprise.

"Neji-niisan! Please come to my assistance!" Hanabi said, running to Neji with open arms. He had an angry mark on his forehead and pushed her away by holding her back with his hand on her head. "I don't want to inherit the company! I don't want to! Please…take my place and go to the business meeting! Or at least…come with me!!" She pleaded.

"Nani?" Neji said with dark eyes. Hanabi snapped her fingers and suddenly bodyguards appeared from behind her. They were trying to hold him back. "What the hell are you trying to do?!" Neji said as he started to kick and punch the bodyguards out of his way.

"T-this is…" Everyone except for Sasuke said in unison, "…madness."

* * *

"Now that the monster is gone, things will be quieter tomorrow." Sakura said with sparkling eyes. Yes. Neji was the monster.

"I'd rather not interfere into Sakura's…happiness." Sai said to Sasuke and Ino. Ino nodded in fear and Sasuke just "hn"-ed like usual.

_I guess Hanabi has a cousin complex? _Hinata thought to herself.

"Hinata-chan," Naruto called her attention.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata blinked, "you've been trying to talk to me lately…is something wrong?"

"I thought he'd never stop showing up…" Naruto muttered to himself as sweat drops appeared.

"Eh?" Hinata blinked.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto grabbed her shoulders and pinned her to the wall. "Onegai…be my girlfriend!"

"N-n-n-nani?!" Hinata stuttered as she blushed furiously.

* * *

Somewhere not safe…

"I feel like beating up Naruto." Neji said while he was in the elevator, going to the business meeting.

"I'm surprised, Neji-niisan." Hanabi said, beside him. "You accepted to come along to the business meeting…even if you and Onee-chan left the family."

"It's…because of personal reasons." Neji replied.

**To be continued…**

**Mshinata: **I swear! I thought I could NEVER finish this chapter! Please give me awesome reviews!


	7. The Perfect Couple

**Mshinata: **Blahh, bad week. I do not own Naruto…or Special A. xD I might have mentioned who owned the school but…I'm changing it a bit. xD This chapter will mostly focus on Naruto so…the italicize paragraphs will be mostly narrated by Naruto. And some of it will be narrated by Neji…hehe. xD The same goes for him, too. The italicized will also be Neji. But that's only at the end…so…it's okay. xD

_I knew for a fact that Obaa-chan was scary. I knew that for a fact. When I was a kid, I could hear her loud outbursts and other…things. Yeah. She would appear in my dreams…I'm sorry, I meant nightmares. Yeah…Obaa-chan owned the school. Unfortunately, I was her nephew._

_Uzumaki Naruto._

* * *

"Hm…what would he expect me to wear…?" Hinata crossed her arms as he was in a tank top and shorts. Neji had gone for a while now…so she was home alone. "A skirt?"

After a while of pondering, she just picked random things and put them on.

_I'm going to be late! _She panicked as she ran towards the shopping district of Konoha. There Naruto was, sitting there nervously on a bench, waiting for his girlfriend. He waved to her as she approached him with a cap on.

"Wow Hinata-chan," Naruto was surprised, "this is the first time you've worn a skirt, ne?" She averted his gaze and blushed.

"P-please don't say anything." She mumbled, lowering her cap to hide her facial expression. She wore a mini-skirt with a jacket that had a white tank top underneath. It was simple…but it was enough to be worn for a date. He flashed her a smile.

"But it looks good on you." He honestly said.

"Do…do you think this is right, doing this?" She asked suddenly, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jacket. "Why didn't you ask Sakura-san or Ino-chan?"

"Sakura-chan…she'd probably hit me if I asked and Ino…would probably just be scarred for life." He sighed inwardly. "It's alright. Neji's not close by so…"

"Neji-niisan wouldn't do anything to hurt us." She blinked.

"Oh…you'd be surprised." He mumbled.

"Nani?"

"Oh, nothing!" He waved his hands as he stood up. "Let's go on our date in the bright daylight. It's better that way."

"_Please be my girlfriend!" Naruto shouted to her as he pinned her shoulders against the wall._

"_U-um…girlfriend?" Hinata blinked, slightly confused._

"_You don't have to play stupid. You know…a…a c-couple." He said, taking his arms back from her._

"_I…I knew that!" She blushed madly. "Don't…people get married after dating?" She mumbled to herself. He sweat dropped._

"_I see you haven't dated anyone yet…" He mumbled to himself._

"_So you want me to be your girlfriend?" Hinata finally got it. "I…can't do that."_

"_Fine…fine! I promise…just pretend for a day." He averted her gaze and sweat dropped._

"_Pretend? Why?" She asked again._

"_My…my birthday is soon…" He started._

"_Oh! I almost forgot…we should throw a party." She smiled._

"_Iie…this is no partying matter." Naruto said with dark eyes. "Let's just say…there will be no future for me…" Her sweat dropped. "Please! For a day! Just pretend in front of my Obaa-chan!"_

"_Eh?! The principal of the school?!" She exclaimed._

"_Yes!" He replied._

"We have to be convincing to other people that we're a couple, okay?" Naruto said, walking her down the streets of the shopping district. She nodded in response. He reluctantly took out his hand while she just blinked and stared at it. "We hold hands!" Her sweat dropped as she also hesitantly took his hand. It wasn't hard on just Hinata…it was especially hard for Naruto. It felt really uncomfortable since…she hadn't held a guy's hand since she was five.

But holding Neji's hand back then didn't count!

"Hinata-chan…" Naruto called her attention, "Gomen…you're going to have to suffer with me for a while…so…just call me when you need help." He averted her gaze.

"No worries. I know you'll be there." She smiled at him. "You're a very precious friend to me."

_Obaa-chan could always speak with her actions…it was actually kind of like Sakura-chan, if you ask me. Actually…Sakura-chan and Obaa-chan did get along well…it…it scared me._

"_Naruto," His Obaa-chan called the little five-year old Naruto, "to be the nephew of the school's principal is…honorable. At least maintain being fifth place in your grade." Naruto looked at her with confused eyes. "If you can't do it…you'll have to suffer the consequences." She said with her innocent (but evil) smile. Shivers ran down the little toddler's spine as he hugged his teddy bear tightly._

_Actually…those "consequences" would be like…tying me to a tree for three days with just water. Of course…that doesn't mean that I'm always bad. Obaa-chan stopped caring about being fifth place after I got into the top five rankings. Although…she still had that evil smile on her face. Even so…I still tried my best as a Musical Club member and a top ranking student. I skipped classes and did whatever I wanted to, too._

_But no…hard work isn't the issue anymore._

_It's about my emotions._

_When you're in a relationship, you always express your love easier by actions…not by words._

_That's what I've observed._

_Yeah…most people think I'm the stupidest kid on the block…but that's just my personality. I'm not necessarily stupid._

"Let's just observe couples, okay?" Naruto said, tugging Hinata along with him. She quietly obliged and followed him into a restaurant.

Naruto observed that the couple was probably newly formed since the girl was so shy. The guy kept pestering her to do something while she kept trying to push him away with that cute shy smile of hers. Until finally, she gave in and sighed with a full-red face.

And then, they kissed.

Hinata's mouth dropped open while Naruto just looked the other away while blushing madly.

She looked at Naruto but then quickly looked away. They shared the same thought.

_There is no way we're doing that!_

"No…we can do it if-" Hinata started, pulling her cap over her face again.

"Baka! You do those things with your _true _lover." Naruto said, sweat dropping. "Maybe…something easier?"

"You…kiss the person you like?" She blinked.

"At least…that's what I think." He replied seriously.

_My Obaa-chan and her husband were always the popular ones in school. Many have said that she had a big bust and pretty amber eyes so…the guys just couldn't stop chasing her. I don't really know much about my uncle but they said he was pretty popular with the girls, too. _

_But really…I don't carry any sign of handsomeness. _

_Yeah…maybe Sakura-chan was pretty but…having a girlfriend was too much trouble. _

"Naruto-kun! We have to practice for the principal…" She said, taking out her hand. She was referring to his Obaa-chan of course. He slowly took her hand.

_Now, I'm really starting to lose confidence about tricking my Obaa-chan…she has the sharpest eyes after all…_

_Obaa-chan even said that I needed a girlfriend by the time I was a junior in high school! If I didn't…well…she'd send me to a matchmaker…_

_Every. Single. Damn. Day._

_Yes…Obaa-chan was always true on what she said. I know that much._

_And when she asked me about having a girlfriend…I said yes. _

_Yes…I'm an idiot._

_She told me to bring my girlfriend home one day…oh great joy._

"You live here, Naruto-kun?" Hinata said in amazement as she looked at the huge mansion right in front of her.

"It's not as big as Sasuke-teme's…but it's still sturdy and firm! So it's alright." He said, smiling.

_This is about…my feelings._

"Na…ru…to!!" The voice whom Naruto had always feared and had nightmares about boomed inside the mansion as the two quickly came into the estate. "That's not your girlfriend…you liar…"

Hinata was afraid…but then awed by her beauty. She had light blond hair in two low ponytails that seemed so silky…and pretty amber eyes which you could have gotten lost in them.

You could have…if they weren't so menacing.

Now that she thought about it, Naruto had never talked about his aunt/the school's principal. She didn't like public events, actually. She'd always speak to students privately.

"But…he really is my boyfriend!" Hinata lied as Naruto panicked and looked at her like she was crazy.

"Ah…Hyuuga Hinata. First in your grade…but only second to Neji-kun at everything…ah…that boy." His aunt placed a manicured finger to her lips.

"T-Tsunade-baachan…" Naruto stuttered.

"Speaking of Neji-" Tsunade started.

"He's…he's my rival!" Hinata managed to squeak out.

"Hm. Interesting…so Naruto, that means you hate Neji-kun." Tsunade dropped on her sofa and smirked at him. "Since…you know…Neji-kun and Hinata-san…" Hinata turned a bright red.

"P-please! Naruto-kun has gotten the courage to face you like this! Won't you accept it?" Hinata clasped her hands together.

"Ohoho…if you're so in love with my nephew, then kiss him." Tsunade's smirk widened. "Right in front of me." Naruto twitched while Hinata just stood there firm. She gulped and turned to face Naruto.

"N-Naruto-kun…we…have to kiss." She whispered desperately.

"Iie! You-" Naruto started.

"She'll only believe us then…" She said, only above a whisper. "Just promise me one thing…don't lie to your parents." His eyes widened.

_Humans…they do stupid and smart things. You can't ever explain why they've done it or not. It's just…life._

"NO!!" Naruto said, furious now.

"I knew it. You wimped out." Tsunade said. "You really are too nice for your own good…"

"You only kiss someone when they're someone you like. Hinata-chan…gomen." Naruto said with a faint smile.

"Naruto-kun…" She only replied.

"Obaa-chan! I don't have one! Happy now?! Nor do I want one right now!" Naruto shouted furiously. _I'll even take the matchmaker for you, Obaa-chan!_

"I knew it."

"Eh?" Naruto and Hinata said in unison.

"This is the first time you've lied. And you failed to impress your auntie." Tsunade said disappointedly. Naruto sweat dropped. "Why did you lie?"

"B-because…y-you said…" Naruto stuttered.

"That I would make you go to a matchmaker everyday and I would make your life miserable?" She half-jokingly said. Naruto frantically nodded while Hinata's mouth parted but she decided not to ask. "Haha…you know I was joking, right?" Naruto parted his mouth as well…but decided not to speak. He felt like such an idiot right then. "But…you should handle your emotions seriously." Tsunade ran a hand through her blond-golden bangs. "And you are so sensitive…this wasn't even that important." Naruto's whole face turned a complete scarlet as he averted his aunt's gaze to the ground.

"H-Hinata-chan…" He caught Hinata's attention, "Gomen…"

_His face…is all red. _Hinata slightly smiled, "It's alright. You'll always be my best friend."

"W-wait…what's that noise?" Naruto asked, looking up at the shaking chandeliers on the ceilings.

"It…sounds like a helicopter." Hinata panicked.

"Wow…he's such a worrywart." Tsunade stood up and put a finger to her chin.

"Who?!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Ah…he called me before you guys came. He said he was really angry about something…he also sounded very irritated. I wouldn't blame him for killing the next guy he sees." Tsunade said plainly. "And of course…it was Neji-kun."

"Neji-niisan?" Hinata gulped. Tsunade smirked…a scary smirk that had always frightened Naruto.

"I told him to come by…since…I thought this would be fun." She said evilly. Hinata quickly ran out of the mansion to find Neji being dropped off by a Hyuuga Corps helicopter.

"N-Neji-niisan…" Hinata stuttered as he jumped from the rope ladder to the ground. He landed gracefully with an undecipherable look on his face.

"Next time I see Sasuke…" Neji stood up straight again as the helicopter landed closer to the ground, "I should thank him properly."

"W-why…did you come here?" She asked, gulping.

"Sasuke told me that you were here." He replied as Hinata walked closer to him. Her eyes widened. "He eavesdropped on the conversation you had with…" He averted his gaze to the hiding Naruto behind his aunt, "Naruto. You went on a date with him."

"What do you want?" She asked nervously. Neji slowly smirked. He looked tired and irritated…she didn't want to get him on his bad side.

"You owe me one." He simply said as he gracefully picked her up bridal style as she blushed and started to struggle in his grasp.

"N-nani?! W-what are you trying to do?" Hinata asked as Neji carried her into the helicopter.

Naruto's sweat dropped as he watched the two Hyuugas fly off in the helicopter. He sighed of relief.

"Don't think you're off the hook." Tsunade suddenly said.

"N-Nani?!" Naruto turned back to look at his aunt.

"Since you don't have a girlfriend, you and the whole Musical Club will be punished…severely." She said with an evil smile. "Oh…so many choices…so little time…"

_I knew right then that Obaa-chan was really a devil. _

* * *

_Ever since I agreed to help with the Hyuuga Corps again…my headaches have only worsened. It's really troublesome. But…there's another reason._

"_Otou-san is really happy when you help around, Nii-san!" Hanabi happily exclaimed, kicking her legs in the air while she was sitting in her chair. Neji un-did his tie and threw it to the ground. He unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt as he inwardly sighed._

_It was…strange…how I found myself in my old…home. It was strange that I didn't feel any hatred towards the house. It was…so strange._

"_The meeting was really successful! They all loved you, Nii-san!" Hanabi said with sparkling eyes._

"_So…" Neji turned to his younger cousin, "you said I could go home after the meeting."_

"_Eh?" Hanabi suddenly looked sad. "I told Otou-san that you were attending some meetings tomorrow as well." She said with a pout._

"_Stop being a wimp…go on your own." Neji said coldly._

"_But…they said they really love your long and luscious hair." Hanabi sparkled again. An angry mark formed at Neji's temple as he sighed once more, but this time he sighed loudly._

_I can't really do things as I please lately…I'm not even allowed to touch the piano downstairs where the memories I shared with Hinata-sama stood._

_It really was…suffocating. _

_Those white-pearled eyes in this house were eyeing me, making sure that I was safe and didn't do anything wrong to their precious Hinata-sama._

Hinata nervously looked out of the helicopter's window as Neji sat next to her. She tried to avoid Neji's gaze as much as possible.

"What's wrong?" Neji asked as she slowly turned to face him with a nervous laugh.

"Y-you…l-look…u-um…angry." She managed to stutter out.

_The fact is…I can't vent everything out on Hinata-sama._

He inwardly sighed and looked down at his hands. "I'm not angry." A tiny tinge of blush formed on his cheeks.

"That's g-good." She said, slightly smiling.

_I should be mature and handle these types of things myself._

"By the way…" She started, fiddling with her fingers, "where are you taking us?"

_Damn. My head is throbbing again. Not to mention…_

"Well…" Neji started.

"Hai?" She replied.

"If I'm protecting you…it doesn't matter where we go." Neji said.

"R-really?" She asked, blushing furiously as Neji's face started to turn red as well.

"I…would do…anything…" Neji said his voice quickly turning to a whisper as his head slowly fell on her shoulder.

"N-Neji-niisan?" She managed to stutter out. Her trembling hand reached to touch his forehead. "N-Nii-san! You have a fever!"

**To be continued…**

**Mshinata: **Woo! I'm on a roll! –Gets pumped up-

**Sasuke: **Tch. –punches **Mshinata **on the head-

**Mshinata: **What was THAT for?!

**Sasuke: **Give her reviews.

**Mshinata: **Is that all you have to say, punk?!

**Sai: **Haha, she's trying to act tough.

**Sasuke: **Yeah…haha.

**Mshinata: **I…um…-thinks- I don't have a comeback.


	8. Punishment for the Pupils

**Mshinata**: I think I'll be updating a lot faster because it's summer time!! Woot! –Does the _Hare Hare Yukai_-

**Sasuke: **O.o…

**Mshinata: **Join Haruism! Be part of the cult! –Sparkly eyes-

**Sasuke: **That Anime doesn't even have twenty episodes…

**Mshinata: **So?! Almost everyone knows the _Hare Hare Yukai. _

**Sasuke: **Except for me.

**Mshinata: **Ehhhh, you're not important. xD

**Sasuke: **Nani?!

**Ino: Mshinata-chan **doesn't own Naruto or Special A.

Hinata sighed as she entered Neji's room once more. The helicopter dropped the two off at their apartment. Neji's sleeping figure was moving up and down as he breathed steadily. It was good…he was starting to calm down. His face was still flushed, though. Hinata placed a wet folded towel on his sweating forehead. She removed some of his locks that were sticking to his porcelain face.

"_He'll be fine after a few days." Sakura said, putting her hands on her hips. Not because she was worried so much as to Neji…but she was worried about Hinata. "The stress of the company really got to him. Ne…why did he oblige to go back to the Hyuuga Corps, anyways?" Sakura blinked at Hinata. Hinata shrugged._

"_Who knows…Neji-niisan is very…strange." She awkwardly said._

"_I've never seen him relaxed before…have you?" Sakura asked._

"_Only when he plays piano…that's about it…speaking of which, he hasn't touched the piano in the clubroom for a while…" Hinata worriedly looked at the sleeping Neji in his room. "Not to mention…I've never seen Neji-niisan faint before."_

She sighed again as she pulled out a stool and set it beside his bed. She was going to be there for a while.

"Maybe…no. I can't call Hanabi at a time like this." Hinata muttered to herself, her hand going back and forth from the phone. She couldn't decide. "I should make something for him…"

* * *

"H-here," Hinata held out the bowl of soup to the flushed Neji who was sitting up in his bed.

"H-hai…" He said weakly.

_She cares for others a lot…it's something I don't have I guess. She takes it from her mother; even if we're rivals, she treats me like a normal person. The date with Naruto had to be fake. _Neji thought to himself.

"Eh? W-what's wrong, Neji-niisan?" Hinata blinked as the male Hyuuga just sat there.

"I…can't eat it by myself." He said.

"A-ah…I see." She replied as she took a spoonful of soup and blew on it. Neji looked at her with her brows furrowed and her cheeks slightly puffed.

It was really cute. Neji was lucky to be flushed or she would have noticed the blush on his face right then.

After she was done feeding Neji, she stood up.

"I'm going to put away the bowl, okay?" She said it so sweetly. It was like she was talking to a child.

"I-Iie." Neji managed to stutter out before she left. She blinked.

"What's wrong?"

"P-please…you promised me," He replied weakly. She blinked again, confused by his words, "to stay by my side…for a day." _My mouth is moving on my own…I can't…stop it. Why? _He started to cough and hack up some germs. She quickly put the bowl down and ran to his side.

"P-please…sleep, so that you can get better." Hinata said, softly caressing his back. _He acts so vulnerable like this…_

"Iie…" He replied.

"Bed rest is important!" Hinata raised her voice.

"It's okay." He resisted. "Y-you…won't be here when I wake up at night." His cheeks heating up…the medicine wasn't helping him at all. _Neji…you're weak. _He thought to himself. "So…I'll be awake with you."

"I-Iie!" She raised her voice a bit more. "You need rest. You don't need to push yourself…that's what you tell me." By that time, Neji had already fallen asleep unconsciously. She smiled in her victory.

_I wonder what she would say…if I said that. _Neji thought to himself.

* * *

Neji woke up from his long twelve hour rest. He sat up and looked around. He sighed. He knew that Hinata would be gone from his side and she was probably shopping for food at the market. He took off the almost-dry towel from his forehead.

He slowly got up from his bed and looked out of his apartment window. It was a busy night…as usual.

_Yes. Hinata-sama is one of the reasons why I get headaches…but…they're not…painful._

He inwardly sighed as he walked out of his room into the small living room. His eyes widened as he saw what he saw. A sleeping Hinata was on the couch, obviously tired from being by Neji's side.

_My heart. _

Hinata slowly woke up as she saw Neji, "do you need anything?" Neji sighed.

"You're not my maid, you know." He said, obviously cured. "Why didn't you go to sleep?"

"Well…you told me not to leave your side." She replied obviously, standing up and going towards him.

"Technically, you did." He said bluntly. She blushed from embarrassment and crossed her arms with a cute pout.

"But Neji-niisan…you were acting strange." She smiled. An angry mark appeared on his forehead.

"So you enjoyed me being sick? How thoughtful…" He said, crossing his arms.

"You were acting so strange that…it frightened me." She said, hugging herself with worried eyes. "A fever from stress…that's what Sakura-san said. Oh! I know…to celebrate that you're cured, let's go somewhere on Sunday." She said happily.

"Where should we go?" He asked.

"Hm…it doesn't really matter, I guess." She said. "At least I get to spend time with Neji-niisan. I'm okay." She gave her cute little smile again. "Also…I've been causing you trouble, so…this is repayment?" She said nervously. His sweat dropped.

"That's not enough." Neji said coldly.

"Eh?" Hinata said in surprise. "That's mean, Neji-niisan."

"Actually…you can repay some of the trouble right here…right now." Neji said.

"Eh? How?" She blinked. He smirked as he quickly leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers.

"There." He backed away and crossed his arms. A devilish smirk appeared on his face.

Hinata finally registered everything that just happened and blushed furiously.

"N-Neji-niisan!" She shouted as her face started to turn from red to crimson.

"Didn't you say yourself to drop the formalities? Just call me Neji." He said in response.

* * *

_I truly and deeply adore my Hinata-chan. I have a problem with guys…that's for sure. It sometimes scares me myself. Hehe…_

_I'm Haruno Sakura._

"NANI?!" Sakura screamed to the top of her lungs as she was on the phone. It was a weekend and Sakura stayed in her greenhouse at home. "Hinata-chan went on a date with NARUTO?!" She asked furiously. "And then…Neji-senpai took her away from Naruto…NANI?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE WAS SICK AND SHE STAYED BY HIS SIDE ALL NIGHT?!" She screamed into the phone again.

"N-no worries, Sakura-sama." One of Sakura's bodyguards replied on the phone. "Hinata-sama is safe."

"I order you to kill both Neji-senpai and Naruto!" Sakura shouted and hung up. "I hate guys…" She mumbled as she threw the phone to the ground.

"Sakura-sama," One of her other bodyguards said.

"NANI?!" She replied menacingly.

"U-um…these are from the school principal." The bodyguard replied, obviously frightened by her tone. He gave her the rectangular box. She blinked and opened the box.

_Naruto's aunt? Tsunade-sama? _Sakura thought to herself, "…S-sailor clothes?" She stuttered, holding them up.

* * *

"Did you hear? Did you hear?!"

"Yeah! Musical Club members from Konoha Academy are coming here for three days!"

"For what?"

"To be students, of course!"

"Why?"

"Don't know…they're just coming!"

"I bet they're all beautiful…"

"Stop daydreaming! Here they come!" All the students ran to their windows and looked outside to the students from Konoha Academy. They were all wearing a sailor's uniform…the school's uniform to be exact.

"Na..ru…to…" Sakura glared at him. He shivered and took a step away from her, "Tsunade-sama is being very harsh this time. Because of your mistake, we have to make up for it?" Sakura scolded him.

"Iie…I'm at fault as well…" Hinata said nervously.

"I-it's not your fault, Hinata-chan!" Sakura said nervously. "Naruto's just an idiot!" Ino sighed.

"I can't believe we're going to this school for three days." Ino said. "Not to mention…we can't skip classes when we want to." She complained.

"**I'm going to kill you, Naruto**." Sakura seethed.

"U-um…didn't you and Neji already beat me up this m-morning?" Naruto trembled with a darkened expression.

"That's not enough!" Sakura yelled at him.

"It's best if we get to know other schools, too Sakura-san. Maybe classes here will be fun." Sai smiled at her.

"Finally, I agree with the stupid president." Sasuke stuffed a hand into his pocket.

"Yeah! But…" Ino said.

"Wahhh! Seeing Hinata-chan and Ino-chan in the school's uniform is so cute!" Sakura squealed, looking at the two girls. Ino's and Hinata's sweat dropped.

"W-what a pervert…" Naruto muttered, frightened.

"What did you say?!" Sakura said, punching his shoulder.

"N-nothing!" Naruto said in fear.

_Actually…I, Sakura, had many friends when I was little._

"W-why?!" Sakura screamed as she looked at the class arrangements. All of the Musical Club members were already in the hallways, looking at their classes. "We're separated." She cried.

"Ah…Sakura-san, we're in the same class." Hinata smiled.

"In your face, Neji-senpai!" Sakura pointed at him with a victory smile.

"Whatever." He averted her gaze and blushed.

Hinata and Sakura were in the same class, Neji and Naruto and Sai were in the same class, and Sasuke and Ino were in the same class.

* * *

"Please be nice to the new students. They're Haruno Sakura and Hyuuga Hinata." The sensei announced as the two came into their classes. Everyone blushed at the bliss and beauty that the two girls gave off.

"Nice to meet you all." Hinata put on her famous innocent smile.

"Wahhh! I'm so happy I was put in a class with such cute people." Sakura squealed. Every person in the class sweat dropped. "Ah Sensei,"

"Y-yes, Haruno-san?" The sensei replied.

"Do we have tea time?" Sakura asked worriedly.

_She's too much! _Everyone in the class sweat dropped.

"Gomen, Sensei!" A group of girls ran into the classroom.

"You're late!" The sensei replied.

"Hai…hai…" A girl with long brown hair with hazel eyes replied nervously. Sakura's eyes widened.

_Yes…I had many important friends when I was young…I remember…this girl…_

Hinata noticed her nervous manner, "What's wrong, Sakura-san?" Sakura snapped out of her thoughts.

"Nothing's wrong. Please don't worry about me." Sakura said with a weak smile.

"Sugoi!" The brown-haired girl came up to the two. "They're such pretty girls!" She exclaimed, a tinge of blush on her face.

"I'm Makoto." The girl smiled. Sakura inwardly sighed of relief. _It…isn't her…but, she does look like that girl._

"P-please just call me Hinata." Hinata held out her hand. Makoto shook it.

"Hai, Hinata-chan." She smiled.

"S-Sakura's okay…" Sakura muttered.

"Sakura-chan! What a pretty name." Makoto exclaimed happily.

"_Sakura-chan's such a pretty name, ne?"_

"_I'd love to be friends!"_

"_W-why…I…I despise you."_

"_I shouldn't have agreed to be friends with you!"_

Sakura started to tremble with dazed eyes.

"Sakura-chan?" Makoto blinked and took her right hand. Sakura slapped her hand away, still in a dazed phase.

"S-Sakura-san!" Hinata said, "U-um…there was a bug…?" She turned to Makoto. "Are you okay?" She asked worriedly.

"H-hai…I'm fine." Makoto replied.

"S-Sakura-san?" Hinata shook her shoulders lightly. _T-the…air is thick!_

* * *

"I should probably buy some tea for Sakura-san…" Hinata sighed as she walked down the halls after class was over. She went pass Neji's class but then saw something strange and came back to take a peek.

"Neji-kun, you're brilliant!"

"Can you tutor me?"

"No." Neji said coldly, obviously irritated as he sat in his desk.

"You're so cool, Neji-kun!" Neji twitched.

"**Do what you want**." Neji said with an irritated smirk. Everyone took a step back from his desk and shivered. Neji locked gazes with Hinata and immediately got up from his seat. "Ah…Hinata, what are you doing here?" He totally changed from an irritated old man to a sparkling young man.

"U-um…just walking by." Hinata's sweat dropped.

"Really?" He said with an interested smile. She blushed furiously and looked the other way.

"H-hai." She mumbled. "I'll be seeing you!" And Hinata ran off. All the girls in the class started to burst out with laughter.

"Neji-kun was rejected!" All the girls said in unison. There was an angry mark on Neji's temple.

_W-why do I have to act so strange?! Of course…e-ever since that…k-kiss…_Hinata ran down the halls, searching for a vending machine that had packaged tea.

"_You only kiss someone when they're someone you like." Naruto said._

_R-right! I have to be cautious now…_Hinata thought to herself.

* * *

"S-Sakura-chan?" Makoto said, walking towards her desk. Sakura snapped out of her thoughts. "Did I hurt you in any sort of way?"

"Nani?" Sakura blinked, leaning on her desk on her palm, "A-ah…gomenasai. I just…it was…just me." Sakura managed to say with a faint smile. "Did Hinata-chan go somewhere?" She asked nervously.

"She said she wanted to go buy something…" Makoto replied, "U-um…Sakura-chan?"

"Hai?"

"Can I…be your friend?" Makoto asked with a nervous expression.

"Iie…Iie…not again!" Sakura said in a dazed expression again. Makoto was deeply hurt and her two friends walked her someplace else.

"Do you think Sakura-chan is okay?" Makoto asked nervously to her friends.

"Forget her…she's only hurting you." One of them replied. Hinata slammed the classroom door open and rushed inside to go to Sakura. She was heavily panting since…she was running way too fast in the halls.

_S-she…made it on time. _Everyone in the classroom thought to themselves.

"S-Sakura-san," Hinata said catching her breath, "here." She held out her hand and had some packaged tea. "I…I know you miss your tea time but…this was all I can manage." Hinata said nervously.

_Hinata-chan…you give me so much courage. _Sakura thought to herself, "Hinata-chan!" Sakura suddenly got up and hugged Hinata.

"Tch…they think they can do whatever they want…just because their school is loaded with money."

"Who just said that?" Hinata asked politely but sternly as Sakura let go of her. She faced the whole entire class that was sitting on top or in their desks. They all kept talking and ignored her.

"They're acting really strange…" Hinata muttered to Sakura as another period passed and it was then break time.

"Gomenasai, Hinata-chan…" Sakura said depressingly. They both were standing by the windows as they were ignored and isolated from the rest of the class.

"For…what?" Hinata asked.

"Yo," Naruto opened the door of the classroom and curtly waved to the two. He walked towards them and flashed them his infamous grin, "Are you having fun, you guys?"

"W-well…it's hard to tell since this is our first day here." Hinata replied. Naruto nodded and turned his attention to Sakura. She looked out of the ordinary. She would have yelled at him for "barging" into the classroom or something.

"Something up, Sakura-chan? You're not sick, are you?" Naruto asked worriedly. He thought about it for a while and got an idea. "Did you start your period-" Sakura threw her fist at his face with an angry mark at her temple.

"Shut up!!" Sakura yelled.

"Wahh!" Naruto fell to the ground. "Sakura-chan's back to normal!" Naruto said nervously.

"Sakura-chan is so rough."

"Uzumaki-kun is pretty handsome."

"She should stop hurting poor Naruto-kun."

"Hurting me?" Naruto stood behind Sakura and put a hand on her shoulder. "I enjoy her always hitting me." He turned to face Sakura with his warm smile. "You're okay, ne?" Naruto turned his attention to the door when he saw Neji passing by the classroom. "Yo, Neji!" Neji turned to him.

_N-Naruto…you're so embarrassing! _Sakura blushed furiously and looked down on the ground.

**To be continued…**

**Mshinata: **For the next chapter or so, it will be focused on Sakura…and Naruto. xDD I've decided to make it a NaruSaku as well. I'm sorry SasuSaku fans. I love SasuSaku as much as the next person but…yeah…Naruto fits the part better than Sasuke does.

**Sasuke: **By the way…Naruto is not handsome.

**Naruto: **Yes I am! Look at all the fan girls I have compared to yours!

**Sasuke: **Even though I usually hate fan girls, I have more than yours.

**Naruto: **Prove it. –Crosses arms-

**Gaara: **I own you all when it comes to fan girls.

**Naruto: **Gaara?! Where did you come from?!

**Gaara: Mshinata-san **called me.

**Sasuke: **Why?

**Mshinata: **Because I miss old Gaara-kun. –Pouts-

**Sasuke: **-slaps himself-

**Gaara: **Give her reviews…or die.

**Naruto: **That's scary. –Shivers-

* * *


End file.
